The wooden Church of the Epiphany is shifting on a Russian landscape punctuated by grey pitted roads and verdant overgrown shrubbery and trees. Yet the leaning church contains what must feel like a secret: a remarkable vaulted ceiling with religious paintings depicting icons such as the Mother of God and Saint John the Divine. Known as a nebo or sky, the ceiling inside the Church of the Epiphany is just one example of the fragility of Russia's cultural heritage.
Throughout the country's tumultuous history, the Church of the Epiphany was closed and reopened multiple times. During the anti-religious political climate in the region from the 1960s until the 1990s, most of the icons were taken or destroyed. The artwork that remains on the ceiling from its year of construction 1787 is nothing short of a miracle.
William Brumfield, Professor of Slavic Studies at Tulane University and Honorary Fellow of the Russian Academy of the Arts, presented his documentary work from Oshevensk one of the best-preserved villages of Arkhangelsk oblast in the north of Russia and its Church of the Epiphany at American Councils Washington, D.C. headquarters last month. His detailed photographs showcased the extraordinary artistry of the church interior. He also discussed the fate of the Church of the Intercession in the village of Lyadiny an equal treasure that was destroyed by a lightning strike in May 2013.
In the far northwest of Russia, the villages of the Arkhangelsk oblast are threaded by a root-like extension of rivers that feed into the nearby White Sea. Dr. Brumfield is committed to documenting these and other cultural treasures of Russia's history.
About Dr. William Brumfield
Dr. Brumfield's contributions to the field of cultural preservation have been remarkable. He has spent a total of over 10 years in Russia. In 2002 he was elected to the State Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences and in 2006 was elected an Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of the Arts. His photographs and research on Russia's cultural heritage earned him the D.S. Likhachev Prize for "outstanding contributions to the preservation of the historic and cultural heritage of Russia." Dr. Brumfield expressed his gratitude to American Councils for its support and encouragement over many years.
Upcoming Book Signing
Dr. Brumfield also recently published, Architecture at the End of the Earth: Photographing the Russian North featuring nearly two hundred of his full-color photographs of beautiful, centuries-old structures in some of the most remote areas of Russia in his quest to document the country's architecture. He will be signing copies of his book at American Councils on Thursday, October 15th. Please email cvivas@americancouncils.org for more information.
Find more of Dr. Brumfield's articles and photographic works here:
Oshevensk: Tracking Down Treasures in the Russian North
Liadiny: Wooden Churches, Miracles of Russian Art
Kolomenskoye: Monument to the Grandeur of Medieval Muscovy
View the entire series of Dr. Brumfield's work at Russia Beyond the Headlines.