On Friday, April 1, 2016, a group of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary students from Jordanville, NY, traveled to New York City in order to view the Byzantine art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The group included the seminarians enrolled in the courses of Byzantine History and Liturgical Theology; they were accompanied by St. Vladimir's alumnus Dr. Vitaly Permiakov (SVOTS '04), Instructor at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary.
Following a stroll through Central Park, the Jordanville group arrived to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue for the tour of the Byzantine art collection. The tour was led by the Reverend Deacon Evan Freeman, a doctoral candidate in Byzantine Art at Yale University and the Lecturer in Liturgical Art at St. Vladimir's Seminary. The Byzantine collection at the Met houses many unique objects reflecting the religious life and material culture of the Byzantine Empire, including sixth century liturgical chalices, processional crosses, and censers; the students who study the history and the liturgy of Byzantium were offered a glimpse of the rich liturgical life of the ancient Christian empire. As Deacon Evan noted at the conclusion, "our group toured the Metropolitan's collection of Byzantine art, focusing on liturgical objects, which is among the finest in the country. Our lively discussion was enriched by the Jordanville students' knowledge of Church History, Canon Law, and Liturgics."
In the words of the fifth-year seminarian Stefan Stoyanov, “the Byzantine collection at the Metropolitan Museum holds one of the most interesting and diverse group of liturgical items that I have seen. It was a joy to see these items up close with a thorough commentary by Deacon Evan.”
After the tour, the group was able to spend the rest of the day until their departure exploring other collections of the Metropolitan Museum. For many seminarians, this was their first visit to the Met, enabling them to explore its rich collections of Egyptian, Asian, and European art.
Photos and text courtesy of Dr. Vitaly Permiakov: read the full story on Holy Trinity's website
