Zaredarte is more than an art studio – it is a space where artistic experience, theological reflection, and interdisciplinary dialogue converge to shape visual creations of profound impact.
For over two decades, our activity has unfolded at the intersection of art and theology, bringing together monumental painting projects (approximately 4,000 m²), icons destined for liturgical spaces, mural ensembles, works with an ecumenical dimension, and participation in international events. Each project has become an opportunity for research and learning, generating questions and solutions regarding the role and function of the sacred image within the community.
WHAT DEFINES US?
Artistic practice – a continuous exploration of traditional techniques, from fresco and mosaic to icon painting on wood, integrated into contemporary liturgical spaces.
Theological reflection – each work is shaped in dialogue with Tradition, patristic sources, and the present-day requirements of the Church.
Interdisciplinary collaboration – our projects have involved theologians, art historians, psychologists, sociologists, collectors, hierarchs, and academics.
Educational dimension – our activity extends into the academic environment through teaching, coordinating practical workshops, and developing educational materials.
KEY MILESTONES
Collaboration with the Institute for Ecumenical Studies in Fribourg (since 2010), through projects such as the mural painting on the façade of the Walter Nigg Library, “The History of Salvation of Humanity”, or the creation of the iconostasis for the Orthodox Students’ Chapel.
Icons dedicated to symbolic moments, such as works offered to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Francis, or the icon of Saint George created on the occasion of awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Fribourg to Giorgio Agamben.
Interdisciplinary projects, such as UBB-TeMATIC-Art (2019–2023), a collaboration that resulted in the editorial series Hermeneia of Byzantine Artistic Representations (vols. I–V, Cluj University Press, 2024), coordinated and written with the aim of adapting the Byzantine tradition to contemporary pedagogical and visual needs.
ACADEMIC DIMENSION
Since 2018, our activity has been closely connected to the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, where teaching involvement (seminars, painting workshops, theoretical courses, art exhibitions) supports the formation of future generations of iconographers and the development of a solid academic reflection in the field of sacred art.
Our mission is to keep the Byzantine tradition alive and to make it relevant for the present, building bridges between past and contemporaneity, between theology and art, between communities and cultures.
Through Zaredarte, we believe that the sacred image remains a living, formative, and essential language for the life of the Church and for dialogue among people.