In the Ukrainian House President Victor Yushchenko and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I opened a gallery of portraits of famous Ukrainians and an exhibition of Orthodox painting.
“We are returning to Ukraine and to the whole world the names of our famous spiritual zealots, fathers of the church, great state figures of the past, cressets of education, art, medicine.” - said Victor Yushchenko at the event. “... the asset each of them made into national and, often, into the world’s treasury of spirituality, culture and science is undoubtedly priceless”, - he added.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I also praised the idea of opening of such an exhibition. He also handed over a present from the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Ukrainian nation – icon of St. Andrew, painted at the Mount Athos and mosaic “The Kind Pastor”.
