"I always have a desire to meet Jesus Christ," said Grażyna Uzarska-Żwan from Jelenia Góra, who on May 13-16 took part in an icon writing workshop at the Marian Sanctuary in Licheń Stary. For Mrs. Grażyna, the iconographic workshops are a tangible touch of God by delving into the theology of the icon: "For me, bending over the icon is opening my soul and uniting myself with the spiritual world that surrounds us, which is invisible". In her opinion, Licheń is a unique place and perfect to find yourself by leaning over the icon. - “While working, I forget about the outside world that surrounds me. Down-to-earth issues, such as eating meals or talking to other people, are less important. Thanks to this, I can merge with the image of the saint, whose image I am preparing. The atmosphere of the meeting is also very important, as it is calm, warm and friendly, allowing you to calm down and concentrate on your task ”.
The main theme of the meeting was the figure of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As explained by Mr. Adam Zapora, iconographer, custodian of the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń region in Włocławek, who conducts the Licheń workshops, due to the Saint Joseph's Year in the Catholic Church, the choice was quite obvious.
The past icon-writing workshop is the first one that was organized in Licheń this year. As pointed out by Adam Zapora, the last meeting of this type took place in August last year. At that time, the organizers proposed a slightly different topic for the workshops:
- “We moved away from the subject of Ruthenian or Greek icons and turned to the neocoptic icon. The biggest difference concerns the way of writing and applying the individual layers of the dye, as well as in shapes. Neocoptic icons are simpler and more synthetic, they do not go as much into realism as, for example, Russian icons, but emphasize the eyes, face and hands, which are the most important elements of the figure. "
The workshop was attended by 11 people from all over Poland, including from Olsztyn, Trzemeszno, Zielona Góra, Jelenia Góra and Lębork. Another icon-writing workshop in Licheń is planned for August this year. The organizer of the workshops was Fr. Rafał Krauze, MIC, pastor of the parish of st. Dorothy in Licheń Stary.
Lichen Stary, May 17, 2021.
