The Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main: A Trove of History and Culture

If you happen to be in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, make sure to visit the Museum Embankment, an area located right on the bank of the river Main. This is the place where you will find many of the city’s museums and cultural sites. Once you are there, do not pass on an opportunity to see something truly unique — the collection of Orthodox religious art of the Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main, an institution housed in the former Teutonic Knights refectory.

The Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main: A Trove of History and Culture

Frankfurt is an incredibly culturally diverse city where people of various beliefs and values live together in harmony. This synergy inspires the entirety of the collection of the Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main. Here, you will see Orthodox icons revered by the local communities of the city: Russian, Syrian, Ethiopian, Egyptian, and Byzantine Orthodox icons are displayed all in one historical building, allowing the visitors to go on an immersive multicultural journey through the centuries of religious art. The current museum collection largely consists of donations made by the founder of the museum, German physician Dr. Jorgen Schmidt-Voigt, who brought around 800 icons from the USSR.

The Icon Museum boasts an outstanding collection of Russian Orthodox art, including works by Michail Milutin, a 17th-century iconographer who painted icons for several Russian rulers. Apart from Russian icons, the museum features an exquisite selection of religious art pieces from Orthodox civilizations from around the world, ranging from the 15th to the 20th century. An exhibit of 12th-century Coptic religious works on paper from Egypt is especially noteworthy. Among other valuable possessions of the museum are works by the Greek icon painter Emmanuel Tzanes and the Ottoman artist Yussuf Al Mussawir, also known as Joseph the Painter.

The Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main approaches religious art from a very down-to-earth and modern perspective. Most of the pieces exhibited in the museum halls are presented without glass covers and at eye level. This is meant to bring icons and other objects of religious veneration closer to the general public, bridging the gap between periods and cultures. Overall, the Icon Museum aims to create an atmosphere that inspires discussions and curiosity.

The Icon Museum of Frankfurt am Main is definitely worth your time if you are looking to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the city.