A religious icon that depicts Saint Matrona of Moscow blessing Joseph Stalin, the Soviet dictator who was responsible for the death of millions, has stirred up controversy in Georgia, especially after a civil activist threw some blue plaint at the icon last Jan. 9, the Art Newspaper reports.
Discord at Georgia's Famed Holy Trinity Cathedral
The subject of contention itself is located in the country's famed church in Tbilisi and initially gained online traction after a dissenting priest made a Facebook post about it on Jan. 6, which was Christmas Eve for Georgian and Russian Orthodox Christians.
Then, on Jan.9, eggshells filled with blue paint were thrown at the work and hit its glass covering.
Later on, the activist Nata Peradze came forward and proclaimed she was the one who threw the paint, a statement that was supported by a Facebook video of the incident she posted herself. Peradze has since then campaigned for the removal of the icon.
On the following day Jan. 10, counter-protesters from the far-right "Alt Info" movement surrounded Peradze's house. Local Georgian authorities have also launched an investigation regarding the paint-throwing they labeled as "petty hooliganism."
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History Surrounding Stalin, St. Matrona, and the Religious Icon
Born in 1879 in the city of Gori, Georgia, Stalin was originally named Iosif Dzhugashvili and received his education at an Orthodox seminary in Tbilisi. This is also where the Soviet dictator began his rise to power. Later on, the seminary's building was turned into a museum.
As for Matrona of Moscow, the Russian Orthodox saint shown to be blessing Stalin was believed to have been born without her eyes and was consequently blind for the rest of her life up until she died in 1952.
In the '90s, decades after her passing, a following of hers developed enough to generate great reverence for her relics within a particular Moscow convent.
According to historical legend, the dictator met with the saint during a time when Russia's capital was threatened by Nazis during World War II.
In terms of the recent scandal, it isn't the first as a similar-looking religious icon was removed in 2008 after it generated uproar for also depicting Matrona and Stalin within it, and due to the fact it was hung in the religious institution of St. Petersburg, Russia.
As for the recently paint-struck icon, the Georgian Orthodox Church has released a couple of contradictory statements regarding it, according to BBC. Since the incident, the religious work has now been cleaned up and has been relocated to a placement that is more conducive to viewing.
