The Bismarck tribune., 1922-03-31
TREASURES /. OF
CHURCHES TO !.
BE C0NFISCATED
Soviet Issues Decree That Prcci.
GUS Metals and Stones Must be
"Turned" Into Food
OPPOSITION is EXPECTED

Moscow March 31.-(The Associated
Press)-An Alladins cave of jewels
has been opened by the decision of the
Soviet authorities to confiscate some
of the treasures of the Russian
churches and sell them to feed the
famine sufferers.
(The Soviet decree issued Feb. 26
directs the seizure of all precious
metals and stones (which would not
interfere with the interests of the
various cults" 1t has been announced
that the All-Russian Central Commit
tee will determine what articles are
absolutely necessary for religious pur-
poses vand exempt from requisition).
Most famous of the church treas
ures, described by the Moscow news
paper IZVESTIA, is the bejewelled
ikon, "Our Lady of Kazan," at the Ka-
zan Cathedral In Petrograd. 1t is a
representation Of the Virgin done in
beaten gold, weighing 10 pounds and
decorated with 1865 larger and 1892
lesser diamonds, 638 rubies seven
sapphires, 1,400 pearls and 1855 other
Jewels; and hung about the neck of
the Virgin is diamond necklace of
huge, first water stones.
At Peter Paul's cathedral, also in
Petrograd, there iss another famous
ikon, known as the 'tJaruSalem Holy
Lady," in solid gold It is about two
feet square, and contains 2S carats Of
large diamonds, 13 carats of middle
sized diamonds and IA and one-quar-
ter carats of smaller stones. Alto
gether, in this church, says the IL
VBSTIA, there are "a almost equally
valuable ikons.
To St. Isaac's Cathedral, Petrograd,
were presented on the day it was
opened, total of 215 articles contain
ing 81 pounds Of gold and 4,7SS pounds
of silver and later shrine was built
OF solid silver weighing 468 pounds. st.
Isaac's also has one ikon, 81 inches
wide by % inches high, done in gold
overlay and bearing wreath in large
diamonds. There are dozen otheK
ikons Of tremendous value at St.
Isaacs alone.
Favored by Royalty
While these big -Petrograd cathe
drals, which were long favored by
royalty, probably contain the most
valuable treasures of the Greek Ortiz
od0x church in Russia, nearly every
one of the estimated $1,000 other ca
thedrals, monasteries, converts and
churches contains objects in gold and
silver and jewelled ikons are not at
all rare, even in the smaller edifices.
Royal gifts, donations by pious par
ishioners and church taxes for centur-
les went largely into ornamenting the
churches, Kazan cathedral was the
holy of hOlies to the Cossacks. The.
Cossacks OF the Don once sent to it
LAO pounds of silver asking that it be
made into ikons of four Of the Apos-
ties
Beyond their value in precious metal
and jewels, some of the objects might
be extremely sought after by collec-
tors. The Byzantine magnificence of
the jewelled ikons, however, might
impress the Western world as more
ornate than artistic.
With a few scattered exceptions,
wherein some looting of churches may
have occurred during the early days
of the revolution, church treasurers
have been left practically intact.
Patriarch Tikhon, the head Of the
Russian church, is understood to con-
tend that, since the church and the
state have been separated, the title to
the treasures rests in the hands of the
Pensioners of each church and that,
therefore, it is for each parish to de-
eide what treasures it wishes to sur
render for the famine sufferers.
He advises charity in this respect,
but it is believed in Moscow that the
church as whole, will strenuouslys
oppose general confiscation, while
willing to surrender those objects
which it does not consider particularly
holy r.of essential use in sacramental
nhcarvancoc