11 November 2007
Re: Russian Icon Tour 2008
Dear Friends,
The year 2008 will be the 8th in a row that
Father Ilya will be guiding a group of people (Iconophiles and/or Pilgrims), to travel to Russia
and visit the places that are dear to you. And the 4th year in a row to guide Iconophiles to Moscow
and to the North and North West of Russia. And again there will be new places. Even though these do
not always show on the Itinerary, the latter will still represent the way the group will travel.
As several among you already know, but more
important to those who don't know this yet, Fr. Ilya will be guiding as many as five
tours/pilgrimages in 2008. You can see this on this site in the (new)
Message Center for Upcoming Events (Exhibitions
and Tours). More details can be found also on Fr. Ilya's (new) website
OrthodoxTours.com.
If you are interested to participate in the
Russian Icon Tour 2008, please fill out the
Inscription Form and click "Send" to
request your detailed itinerary.
May God bless you.
Fr. Ilya / Peter de Ruyter
Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky will
once again lead a 3-week tour (May 24 - June 10, 2008) to Russia's world famous Icon Painting
Centers. Says
Dr.
Emory Gonzales: "Travelling with Fr. Ilya is a unique opportunity to see and go places where
very few are allowed". As mentioned above, the 2008 itinerary will be similar to the one in 2007.
The focus of the 2008 tour, again, will definitely be on icons.
Participants will be visiting numerous places where religious art is most brilliantly
and explicitly present. Included are:
- Major Museum Collections in the world famous "Golden Ring" and
elesewhere, containing masterpieces representing the very beginning of Russian iconography schools
through to the eighteenth century.
- World Famous Sites in secluded locations of rural Russia not
included in most of the traditional tours but of exquisite beauty, like Vologda and Kirillov, for
example. (It's another reason that this tour is a unique event.)
- Icon / Fresco Studios and Restoration Workshops where modern
Russian iconographers are working to resurrect the age old tradition of the Russian Icon.
Click the map to the right to enlarge it and make a virtual tour of the Icon
Painting Centers included in the itinerary.
In addition to a
comprehensive study of Russian Icon painting, participants will get a good idea of the Russian
Church and the secular history that impacted religious art.
Every iconophile is welcome aboard and even though the tour will be mainly conducted in English,
professional translators are available in all of the main centers, if needed.
The main point of departure will be J.F. Kennedy Airport, New
York, but people from Europe may join the group in Moscow by travelling to Moscow independently.
Prospective participants should be prepared for a lot of walking during incredibly interesting and
educational, but long days.
