Ice sculptures carved out at monastery
The Raifa Holy Virgin Monastery is preparing the unusual gift of ice sculptures for Orthodox believers. The sculptures are being carved for the Christian holiday of Epiphany. The ice town, sculptured by Anatoly Vinokurov, is located near the beautiful monastery lake.
The first neighborhood of ice sculptures was carved in time for Christmas – a children’s playground featuring an ice slide and sculptures of deer, pigeons and a rabbit.
The remaining sculptures were carved by the Epiphany holiday, celebrated on January 19, to impress local believers.
An ice pool was carved for believers willing to take a dip in celebration of Epiphany.
The monastery’s ice sculptures are a decade long tradition. The ice town becomes larger and more picturesque each year.
“It all began in 1999 with an ice cross, requested by Archimandrite Vsevolod, who wanted it sculpted near the Epiphany ice pool,” according to Vladimir Karpeyev, sculptor, one of the site’s creators and Merited Artist of the Republic of Mari El.
After the cross, local artists started to carve other figures. “The Orthodox Church provides a leeway for creativity within the parameters of recognizable Christian symbolism. New sculptures appear each year which are always recognized,” Karpeyev said.
The artists engaged in carving sculptures for the Raifa Holy Virgin Monastery are all residents of the Republic of Mari El. They do it for the visitors’ enjoyment, not for money. Thousands of believers attend the site during the holiday of Epiphany.
An ice pool carved for those observing the tradition of taking a dip on the holiday of Epiphany.
The sculptures will melt in the spring, but next winter new sculptures will replace them at the monastery lake.
