18 April 2008

Icon exhibition in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin

An icon of Saint Patrick from the exhibition of Greek icons coming to Christ Church Cathedral Dublin

Patrick Comerford

The Gordon Gallery, Derry, is bringing its exhibition of contemporary Greek icons to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, in early May. The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and the Panhellenic Society of Iconographers and includes icons written by Dimitris Kolioussis and other leading iconographers in Greece.

The exhibition takes place in the crypt of Christ Church Cathedral from Tuesday 5 May to Saturday 10 May. This is a rare opportunity to see and buy icons written in the Byzantine tradition. Works like these have not been seen in Ireland since Gordon Galleries hosted an exhibition of icons written by Sister Aloysius McVeigh in Derry in 1993.

There is a sumptuous catalogue to go with this exhibition, and I was delighted to have been asked to contribute an introduction to the spirituality of icons.

Other contributors to the catalogue include Dr Margaret Mullett, Director of the Institute of Byzantine Studies, Queen’s University Belfast; Dr Lyn Rodley of the Institute of Byzantine Studies, QUB; Sister Aloysius McVeigh.

When this exhibition came to Derry in March, it was opened by Dr Victoria Solomonidis, Minister Counsellor (Cultural Affairs) at the Greek Embassy in London and Representative of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture.

The exhibition will be opened officially in the crypt in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, by the Greek Ambassador in Dublin, Mr George Alexandros Vallindas, on Tuesday 6 May and continues until Saturday 10 May from 9.45 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. each day.

For my thoughts on the exhibition in Derry visit: http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com/2008/03/spirituality-of-icons.html

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College, Dublin