During an X-ray examination of the mid-18th century Pokrova icon from the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral, Dobrobut doctors helped to discover the oldest image of the outstanding cultural and religious figure of the 17th and 18th centuries, St. Raphael Zaborovsky, painted by his contemporary.
According to a press release from the Dobrobut network, the X-ray examination was conducted at the invitation of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv” at the Dobrobut Medical and Diagnostic Center.
Employees of St. Sophia of Kyiv asked Dobrobut to conduct an X-ray analysis of the ancient icon and help find out when the image of Raphael Zaborovsky appeared on it. Last year, scientists of the Sophia Reserve discovered the relics of Zaborovsky in the dungeons of St. Sophia Cathedral. It was believed that they were burned under Soviet rule. After this discovery, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine proclaimed Raphael a saint on March 28, 2023.
The researchers assumed that the icon of the Intercession in the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral depicts the image of Metropolitan Raphael: according to their assumptions, it must be the oldest icon with his portrait. However, the researchers of the reserve had serious evidence in favor of the fact that the icon was rewritten in the nineteenth century.
The study, conducted by Valeriia Semenenko, head of Dobrobut’s radiology department, found that the image of Raphael Zaborovsky was on the icon from the very beginning, from the middle of the eighteenth century, and the icon itself was not partially but completely rewritten in the nineteenth century – the plot changed, new characters were added to the image on top of the old ones.
“The X-ray study of the Intercession Icon, conducted by the head of Dobrobut’s X-ray department, allowed scientists and restorers of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv” to see for the first time the true “face” of the unique mid-eighteenth-century St. Sophia Intercession Icon, which everyone can see in the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral,” said Ihor Netudyhatkin, PhD in History, Head of the Sophia Museum Department of the National Conservation Area of St. Sophia of Kyiv.
Metropolitan Raphael’s activity and active assistance helped to build the bell tower of the Kyiv Cave Monastery, St. Andrew’s Church, the architectural ensemble of the 18th century Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Catherine Monastery in Podil, the bell tower and walls of St. Sophia and St. Sophia Cathedral, and the gilded iconostasis of the millennial church.
“Dobrobut is one of Ukraine’s largest private medical chains. The network includes 17 medical centers in Kyiv and Kyiv region, an emergency service, dentistry and pharmacies. The medical centers of the network provide services for children and adults in more than 75 medical areas. Every year, Dobrobut specialists perform more than 7 thousand surgeries. The network employs more than 2.8 thousand people.
The medical network cooperates with a number of international charitable organizations, including Direct Relief International, Children of War Foundation, International Medical Corps and University of Miami Global Institute, as well as with the charitable foundation of the same name. According to the company, thanks to the activities of Direct Relief International and the Dobrobut Foundation, the Dobrobut Medical and Diagnostic Center provides free medical care to wounded soldiers and people in difficult situations due to the war.
According to the company, Dobrobut became the first private healthcare network in Ukraine to receive funding from the U.S. federal government: with the support of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the company will build a modern physical rehabilitation center.
