Historical Panagia Gifted to Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Hong Kong

The Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Hong Kong has received a unique silver panagia as a gift. Crafted in Harbin, China, at the beginning of the XX century, the panagia features Chinese characters and an icon of the Holy Trinity, making it a one-of-a-kind artifact.

The panagia is believed to have belonged to Metropolitan Innocenty (Figurovsky), a renowned Orthodox missionary in China who arrived in Beijing in end if XIX and became the head of the XVIII Ecclesiastical Mission to China. Metropolitan Innocenty worked tirelessly to establish a local Chinese Orthodox Church, which was distinct from the Russian Orthodox Church. He believed that the Orthodox faith should be accessible to the Chinese people and that a local church would help to facilitate this.

The panagia was gifted to the Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church on the day of the Holy Spirit, which Metropolitan Innocenty considered as the day of the birth of the Church in China, because his was ordained as a bishop for China at this feast. The use of Chinese characters on the panagia was a deliberate choice that reflected the desire to build a local Chinese Orthodox Church. This design of the panagia demonstrated a willingness to adapt the Orthodox faith to local cultural and linguistic traditions.

The panagia's creation in Harbin reflects the harmonious blend of Chinese culture and Orthodox Christianity that occurred under Metropolitan Innocenty's leadership.

The panagia gifted to the Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Hong Kong serves as a reminder of Metropolitan Innocenty's dedication to building a local Chinese Orthodox Church and his efforts to make the Orthodox faith accessible to the Chinese people. It is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Orthodox Church and its ability to adapt and integrate into new cultures and societies.

The Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Hong Kong is honored to receive this historical panagia and will display it as a symbol of the harmonious blend of Chinese culture and Orthodox Christianity that continues to thrive in Hong Kong and around the world.