My story

Famous academic painter detained because of his active faith in God

In 1953 I was arrested by the Communist regime. I was condemned of high treason. I was about six months in custody in an isolation cell. I was not alone. God was there with me. And He gave me inspiration – my poems. Unfortunately I had neither pen nor paper. In the morning they gave me a piece of soap. I soaped the bottom of my tin wash-basin. I borrowed a comb and I broke one of its teeth. By using this tooth I managed to write something on the soaped bottom of the wash-basin. The words I wrote reflected under the sun in front of the window. So until night came, I learnt my poem by heart.

Every day, for four years, I repeated thirty poems. I was finally able to write them down when I went back home. I don’t want you to believe I am a poet. Written poems are a sincere chronicle of my interior life in the isolation cell. They are a testimony of God’s help that gave me strength during hard times through the Holy Spirit. I often look back at them, because they contain deep meditation thoughts.

I was detained because of religious activism. They wanted to condemn me of high treason, but they couldn’t find any charges. Eventually, they constructed some charges and wrote down an act with accusation of high treason. Of course, no truth at all was in it! They told me that if I don't sign it, they would arrest my wife. At that time we had three little children. So I signed it. During all court proceedings I never forget to state that I signed it under strong pressure. I had four court hearings; eventually, I was condemned of high treason (they sentence me to 7 years imprisonment.

Moreover, I lost my civil rights and my properties. I was “rehabilitated” in spring 1969; unfortunately, half-a-year later they annulled my rehabilitation... I had to undergo thirteen more court hearings until they substituted “high treason" with a more moderate accusation paragraph. In 1990 I was completely rehabilitated. Thanks God.

Five months in the isolation cell were for me spiritual exercise. Board and accommodation were assured. Exercitation was led by the Holy Spirit. He dictated me those poems. I wrote them down as rapidly as possible and until night I learnt them by heart. Those poems helped me live in jail.

Still today they are a source of encouragement for me and for other people. And they are a proof of goodness, love, and help from the Almighty; they are a vivid experience of the joy we receive from God. They remind me the spiritual heights where the Holy Spirit brought me when I was in that isolation cell; inside the cell, when I tried to think about future and past, it caused me great pain. But I was able to think of God, Heaven – and it gave me such a strong optimism in those very hard moments.

I received the highest dose of optimism from these words of Jesus:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (my false accusation of high treason!); “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven”.br> (Matthew 5, 11-12)

And also these words of Jesus:

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.“br> (Matthew 19, 29)

Today, I can really affirm that I am receiving a hundred times as much; and I strongly hope in the eternal life in Heaven. What can we expect up there? It is the most wonderful thing. We will see God and His infinite love for us. Everything around us and inside us will be unimaginably beautiful.

I delight in it. Despite my age (I am more than 80 years old), I feel young in my soul, because a beautiful eternity is waiting for me. I don’t want to go to hell – not at all! Somebody could think I am daydreaming. No, Heaven is so real that God accepted to be crucified in order to open it to us!