Georgian Patriarchate asks donors from pro-Russian party to modify controversial icon depicting Stalin

The Georgian Patriarchate on Thursday requested donors from the domestic, pro-Russian Alliance of Patriots party to modify an icon of Matrona of Moscow that also features Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, following controversies. 

The Patriarchate, which allowed the icon in Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral three months ago, asserted a depicted meeting between Stalin and St. Matrona lacked sufficient evidence and was not included in the canonical text of the saint’s life. 

If donors did not modify the episode, the Patriarchate has stated its intention to undertake “necessary modifications.”

The controversy surrounding the icon began when cleric Ilia Chigladze shared the image on his social media account on January 6. 

The Patriarchate emphasized that Stalin’s presence on the icon had fueled “contentious discussions”, taking on a political undertone in recent days. “Regrettably, the icon became the target of unjustified offensive actions” including a recent incident where a civic activist defaced it with paint this week. 

Citing canonical rules of iconography, the Patriarchate highlighted that icons could depict not only the saint but also real stories from the saint’s life involving various individuals, including rulers, ordinary people, heretics, and even persecutors of the Christian faith or torturers of the saint. The Patriarchate clarified that such depictions did not glorify or assign dignity to these individuals but serve as reflections of indisputable facts related to the saint.