Ukrainian iconography is a thousand-year-old tradition reflecting the profound spirituality and culture of the Ukrainian people. It is a phenomenon that deserves a rightful place in the treasury of world art. For centuries, Ukrainian painters faced discrimination, and invaluable works were either destroyed or stolen by occupying regimes that enslaved Ukrainian territories.

Since gaining independence, Ukrainian sacred art has been undergoing revival and increasing scholarly exploration. However, this development is hindered by the deep wounds inflicted by invaders: the myth of the “provincial” and “non-canonical” Ukrainian icon remains widespread, while in the global academic world, Ukrainian iconography is often completely unknown.

Icon.org.ua – The first online gallery of Ukrainian sacred art from the 11th to the 21st century. This is a non-commercial educational project aimed at familiarizing and promoting Ukrainian sacred art both in Ukraine and worldwide. The gallery focuses on presenting Ukrainian iconography as a cohesive thousand-year-old tradition that developed across all ethnic Ukrainian territories, including Zakerzonnia, Pryashivshchyna, Starodubshchyna, Kursk region, and others. Therefore, a significant number of collected samples are housed in museums and churches in Poland, Slovakia, Canada, Belarus, and Russia.

Another key objective of the project is to dispel colonial myths about the provinciality and non-canonicity of Ukrainian icons. Separate sections are devoted to painting schools and artist biographies. Additionally, the gallery presents a significant number of studies by Ukrainian and foreign scholars, as well as detailed iconographic analyses of many samples.

Overall, the Gallery features 22,000 media files:

• About 17,000 Ukrainian icons;
• Approximately 5,000 photos of works in church and museum interiors;
• More than 180 articles by Ukrainian and foreign researchers;
• About 50 books related to Ukrainian iconography.

The gallery was established in 2016 and updated in 2024.

Founder and Editor: Mykhailo Skop, art historian, Doctor of Philosophy.

The project is supported by:

• Lviv Orthodox Theological Academy
• NGO “Vyriy”
• NGO “Chorna Halych”

Header font: KyivType by Dmytro Rastvortsev.