Tucked away within the nook of a North Finish church, a statue created by a world-famous artist and blessed by the Pope is sitting untouched however deeply cherished.
In 2019, the statue of St. Volodymyr, standing exterior of Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir and Olga was decapitated, no small feat for a bronze statue.
“In the course of the night time, folks got here and they viciously attacked the statue, slicing off its head after which got here again on one other night time and took the cross on the piece of the workers,” Bennie Gusnowsky, the chief of the fundraiser for the restoration of the statue says.
What the vandals didn’t know was that this was no strange statue.
“The statue was created within the ’80s by Leo Mal. It was blessed by Pope John Paul II who’s now St. John Paul when he was right here in his go to earlier than its set up on the nook of Flora and McGregor.”
St. Volodymyr stands tall, greeting Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir and Olga patrons earlier than a collection of vandalism. (Equipped)Leo Mol is a famed Ukrainian-Canadian artist, who additionally created the church’s stained glass home windows, in addition to many others in Winnipeg. He has achieved different St. Volodymyr statues, however no two have been alike. The Assiniboine Park has a statue backyard devoted to his work.
“The unhappy half is till it’s repaired, proper now it’s sitting within the church, protected type of within the again nook coated up so folks do not need to take a look at the scars.”
The top of St. Volodymyr’s statue was later returned anonymously, being positioned inside a bag on the church’s entrance steps.
On the time, a neighborhood artwork seller was prepared to do the job for the church, freed from cost, however has since backed out. The statue was not insured and the church is now on the hook for the dear restoration. After a rocky 2020 together with the pausing of in-person providers and much-needed constructing repairs, the church is transferring ahead with the statue’s $25,000 repairs after getting a deal from a Toronto firm.
“The unhappy half is till it’s repaired, proper now it’s sitting within the church, protected type of within the again nook coated up so folks do not need to take a look at the scars,” Gusnowsky sighs.
The headless statue waits for its restoration, bringing it to its former glory. (Equipped)Unable to host any type of in-person fundraiser, Gusnowsky is hoping they will raise the funds, serving to enhance the morale of the church. To date they’ve raised $900, a small proportion of their aim.
“With the state of the world proper now, it makes it a bit bit powerful for folks to have the ability to do any type of public fundraising,” he says. “It’s a time when it is powerful for folks to actually dig deep into their pockets as a result of their pockets are that deep presently.”
Gusnowsky is on the lookout for folks to volunteer their time to the church, hoping there’s somebody who is aware of how the art-world works and may help him navigate the statue repairs.
He says as a result of the church requires a whole lot of upkeep, it makes it tough to scrape up further funds for the statue. He says the statue shall be repaired however hopes it will not be one other burden the church has to face.
