The opening in Paris of a monument to Pope John Paul II by Z.K. Tsereteli.

The religious theme as a search for spirituality, spiritual and moral ideal occupies a special place in the works of the author of the monument, People’s Artist of the USSR and the Russian Federation, President of the Russian Academy of Arts, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Z.K. Tsereteli. She is dedicated not only to monumental works on the theme of biblical history, but also to the images of Saints - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, St. Apostle Paul, St. Nicholas, St. George, heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo Alexander Peresvet and Rev. Irinarch the Recluse.

Under the leadership of Z.K. Tsereteli The Russian Academy of Arts carried out large-scale work to recreate the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. In the Museum and Exhibition Complex “Zurab Tsereteli’s Art Gallery” there is a biblical cycle “The Knowledge of Good and Evil”, which is composed of monumental bas-reliefs dedicated to the scenes of the Old and New Testaments.

The artist also created images of outstanding spiritual leaders of the twentieth century - Mother Teresa and John Paul II, with whom the master happened to be acquainted personally.

On October 25, in Paris, the opening ceremony of the monument to Pope John Paul II, attributed by the Roman Catholic Church to the Face of the Saints, will be held. “We proclaim the saints and blessed ones of John XXIII and John Paul II and classify them as saints and establish that in every church they should be revered as saints. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ”- this is how Pope Francis ranked Pope John Paul II (Pole Carol Wojtylu) and Pope John XXIII (Italian Angelo Giuseppe Ronkalli) on April 27, 2014.

With a request to create a sculptural image of John Paul II, the Polish Catholic Mission in France in the person of its rector Mr. Stanislav Ezh addressed the artist. In 2010, the work was completed and the sculpture was presented to the general public as part of the exposition of the National Exhibition of Russia in the Grand Palais along with other works, after which it was donated to the Polish Catholic Mission.

For several years, approvals took place, and various installation sites were proposed, including near the Mission. Subsequently, the Mary of Paris proposed several places in the immediate vicinity of Notre Dame Cathedral. The sculptor made the appropriate sketch proposals taking into account the location, one of which was approved.

This circumstance, of course, accelerated the approval process, and already in July 2014 the City Hall of Paris officially agreed to erect a monument to the new St. John Paul II.

It is symbolic that the sculpture of John Paul II will be installed in the square, named after St. Pope John XXIII. This square is located at Notre Dame Cathedral. It is interesting to note that the Cathedral is a symbolic center not only of Paris, but of the whole country: it is here, on the porch of the cathedral, there is a sign of the so-called “zero kilometer”, the point from which the length of all the main roads of France is calculated.

Work on the sculptural image of the Pope continued the artist’s reflections on the spiritual path. It is the epoch-making personality, the human symbol that appears, John Paul II in the work of Tsereteli - the sculptural image once again emphasizes the significance of the personality of the Pope, personifying the Catholic faith throughout the world. The composition of the monument is laconic and simple. The absence of unnecessary details, clarity and purity of the plastic form correspond to the personality of the pontiff, who was distinguished by modesty, noble simplicity in communicating with people. The pontiff’s facial features are subtly conveyed, his hands are close to his face and folded in a very characteristic gesture for him, which could be defined as a prayer meditation. The outward resemblance and the character expressively conveyed by the artist of John Paul II, however, did not prevent the sculptor from achieving that particular degree of generalization when the appearance of a particular person becomes symbolic.

The 3.6-meter-high bronze monument is a gift from the Russian people and the author of the monument Zurab Tsereteli to the Polish community of Paris.

The official opening ceremony will be preceded by a service in the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, which will also sound in Russian. Archbishop of Paris, His Eminence Cardinal Andre Ven-Troyes, will take part in the ceremony. He will also take part in the opening ceremony of the monument.

The mayor of Paris, Madame Ann Hidalgo, Archbishop of Lodz Marek Yedrazhevsky, as well as representatives of the creative intelligentsia, UNESCO and others, are expected to attend the ceremony.