Antoni Zorzano Riera, Miniatures Museum Owner and Ukraine Consul, Dies at 77

Antoni Zorzano Riera, the entrepreneur behind Ordino's Miniatures Museum and Ukraine's honorary consul in Andorra, has died at the age of 76.

Zorzano, born in 1949 in Sant Julià de Lòria, passed away on Sunday in Escaldes-Engordany. A former rugby player with VPC Andorra, he later built a varied business portfolio that included running the Àngel Blau live music venue, a bus shelter advertising agency, and furniture operations. In the 1990s, he also published the Agenda d'Andorra.

His passion for culture led him to establish the Miniatures Museum in Ordino's Maragda building, which opened in 1996 and features works by Ukrainian miniaturist Nikolai Siadristi, Chinese artist Liu Shouben, and matryoshka dolls from former Soviet states including Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Siberia, and Belarus. He also created the Sant Jordi space focused on Orthodox icons.

Appointed honorary consul by Kyiv in 2008, Zorzano regularly contributed articles to local media, voicing strong opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on 24 February 2022. As consul, he helped organize refugee arrivals in the Principat and various solidarity events, expressing confidence in Ukraine's victory with Western backing. A resident of Ordino parish, he remained a dedicated VPC supporter, attending matches at the Estadi Nacional, and a fervent FC Barcelona fan who followed the men's first team and European away games.

The Zorzano Cavignac family will accept condolences on Monday, 11 August, from 10am to 1pm at the tanatori in Escaldes-Engordany. The funeral will take place on Tuesday at 4pm in Ordino parish church, followed by burial in the local cemetery. An online book of condolences is available through Pompes Fúnebres Andorranes.