18th century icon seized in East Turkey

Police seized a 18th century icon in Turkey’s east province of Adana. It depicts one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ embroidered on gazelle skin. 

The seized icon (by Dogan Haber Ajansi)

The icon measures 178 centimetres in height and 75 centimetres in width, and dates back to the 18th century. It has the name The Great Archiereus inscribed on it. It is a Greek word for “bishop” that was used in the liturgical books of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Police officers stopped a car in the Çukurova district after becoming suspicious of it. The officers searched the car and found an icon hidden in the trunk. The men driving the car were detained. They testified that the icon was given to them by a person from Syria who owed them money and that they did not know it was historically valuable. The police states that the suspects were possibly trying to smuggle the icon from Syria. They were released with judicial control after being referred to court.

(after Dogan Haber Ajansi)

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