Five Byzantine icons sent to France from Ukraine to protect against war will be on public display at the Louvre in Paris from Wednesday, Agerpres reports.

Works of art reflect the entire history of humanity, French Culture Minister Reema Abdul Malak said Tuesday during the opening ceremony of an exhibition titled “The Origin of the Sacred Image.”

“They are the oldest icons in the world and symbolize the power of art against barbarism,” the minister also said.

The icons come from the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Art Museum in Kyiv, one of the most important museums in Ukraine.

They, along with 11 other robots, were brought to France on May 10 and escorted by the army through Poland and Germany. The operation to save 16 selected works was financially supported by the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones (ALIPH).

The Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tkasenko, said that so far, contemporary art has mostly been sent abroad to protect it from Russian attack. The works, which will be exhibited until November 6, date back to the VI-VII centuries and depict portraits of the saints of the Christian East.

The Louvre plans to open a Byzantine art department with an area of ​​about 3,000 square meters by 2027.

Read also: The Louvre Museum accepts Ukrainian works of art to save them from the Russian invasion