Antoni Zorzano Riera, Miniatures Museum Owner and Ukraine Consul, Dies at 77
Andorran entrepreneur Antoni Zorzano Riera, who owned the Miniatures Museum and championed Ukrainian causes as honorary consul, died Sunday at 77 after a diverse career in business and sports.
Key Points
- Born in 1949 in Sant Julià de Lòria, he built businesses in music, advertising, furniture and directories.
- Founded Ordino's Miniatures Museum in 1996, housing Europe's largest private Orthodox icons collection.
- Served as Ukraine's honorary consul in Andorra since 2008, aiding refugees after 2022 Russian invasion.
- Rugby player for VPC Andorra in 1960s; lifelong FC Barcelona fan and Ordino resident.
Antoni Zorzano Riera, owner of Ordino's Miniatures Museum and Ukraine's honorary consul in Andorra, died on 9 August 2026 at the age of 76 in Escaldes-Engordany.
Born in 1949 in Sant Julià de Lòria, the entrepreneur and art collector built a varied career in business and sports. He played rugby for VPC Andorra during its early 1960s seasons and remained a regular at Estadi Nacional matches as his health permitted.
His ventures encompassed the Àngel Blau live music venue, an advertising firm specialising in bus shelters, furniture sales and the 1990s Agenda d'Andorra directory. Travels in the 1980s to Eastern Europe, especially Kyiv, sparked his interest in Orthodox sacred art. This evolved into one of Europe's biggest private holdings of Orthodox icons, Ukrainian miniatures by Nikolai Syadristy, works by Chinese artist Liu Shouben and Russian matryoshka dolls. The items feature at the Miniatures Museum in Ordino's Maragda building, which debuted in 1996, and in its Sant Jordi area for icons.
Appointed Ukraine's honorary consul in 2008, Zorzano aided refugees, officials and local groups after Russia's invasion on 24 February 2022. He arranged medical care and housing for early arrivals, joined economic and social support efforts, and wrote columns for outlets including Diari d'Andorra on Ukraine's political, social and global issues.
The Andorran Government and Foreign Affairs Ministry have offered condolences. Minister Imma Tor posted on X to express profound sorrow on behalf of the ministry and Government, extending sympathies to Zorzano's family and friends with "DEP".
The Zorzano Cavignac family shared news of the death. Condolences will be received on Monday, 11 August, from 10am to 1pm at the tanatori in Escaldes-Engordany, with a funeral mass at 4pm in Ordino parish church and burial in the local cemetery. Online tributes are available at www.pompesfunebresand.com. A lifelong Ordino resident, VPC supporter and FC Barcelona follower who travelled to European away games, Zorzano leaves behind his family.
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