Biljana Klekachkoska says: "I was honored and delighted to create a gift for Pope Francis, that was presented by our president Stevo Pendarovski, on the occasion of Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in Rome this year."
Her work is entitled "Three birds gathered around a drop of liquid light on a leaf of lapis lazuli". Biljana Klekachkoska specialises in filigree and is respected and known for it as a jewellery artist in her home country, the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
She has used the ancient technique of filigree for the two peacocks and the dove against a background of lapis lazuli. The birds circle a gilded drop of rock crystal. The background, a thin sheet of lapis lazuli, is an interpretation of the Florentine technique of mosaic art and represents the heavens. The combination of techniques and the choice of motif express the fragility of life in a shared community. The dove is a symbol of the preciousness of sharing in the freedom of the spirit; the peacock represents dedication to eternity.
With the choice of materials and the new reading of ancient Christian symbols, the artist speaks to the responsibility of building flourishing communities in times when unitiy is being put at stake.
The inspiration for this piece was a mosaic in the baptistery of the 4th century AD Episcopal Basilica in Stobi, the oldest church in the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
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