ORTHODOX ART

Icon. Saint Sergius of Radonezh, with Scenes from His Life (in setting)

Moscow. Sec. hf of the 16th c. Wood, tempera; setting — silver, thin stamping, gilding. 163,5×111,0×3,5 cm. Endowed by Dmitry Godunov to the Ipatyev Monastery in 1586.

Saint Sergius of Radonezh is one of the most important spiritual authorities of the Russian State, the founder of the Trinity Monastery near Moscow, later the famous Trinity-Sergius Monastery, a preceptor of Russian princes and prominent Orthodox priests. Canonized in the 15 th century.

Icons showing life scenes of St. Sergius of Radonezh are based on sources of the 15 th century. The present icon has 19 border scenes of St. Sergius? life, scenes of miracles worked by the saint during his lifetime and after his death. The border scenes are disposed symmetrically around the rectangular central panel in which the full-length image of St. Sergius is shown with his arms outstretched and the scroll unrolled. It is the iconographical type that was prevalent in Moscow art of the 16 th century. The peculiarity of the icon is the presence of the Deesis and the Prophet Range on the setting covering the upper part of the icon. The border scenes of the icon are (from top left corner clockwise):

1. The Nativity of St. Sergius.
2. The Appearance of the Divine Elder to Youth Bartholomew.
3. The Divine Elder Brought to the Home of Bartholomew's Parents.
4. Bartholomew Taking Monastic Vows under the Name of Sergius.
5. St. Sergius Being Tempted.
6. St. Sergius Being Ordained Father Superior.
7. St. Sergius Praying for the Dead Youth.
8. St. Sergius Divining the Well.
9. Orthodox Russian People Being Comforted and Edified by St. Sergius.
10. St. Sergius Handing the Resurrected Youth Over to His Father.
11. The Appearance of the Virgin to St. Sergius.
12. St. Sergius Being Blessed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Cyrus Philotheus.
13. The Vision of Fire in the Chalice during the Liturgy of St. Sergius.
14. St. Sergius Curing Sudden Blindness of the Bishop of Constantinople.
15. The Burial of St. Sergius.
16. The Recovery of St. Sergius' Relics.
17. The Appearance of St. Sergius to Zachary Borozdin.
18. The Appearance of St. Sergius and St. Nicon to Simeon Antonov.
19. Healing of the Blind Man by St. Sergius' Tomb.

Icon. Saint Basil the great, the Theologian

Moscow. 15th c. Wood, tempera. 80,0×61,0×3,0 cm. Entered from the Cathedral of Galich, the Kostroma region, in the 1920 ies.

Saint Basil the Great, a prominent Christian priest, was born in 329. Since 390 he was the Bishop of Cappodicia Caesarea. He sought to consolidate the Christianity, propagating asceticism, standing up for the Church independent of official State power. He is the author of a liturgy, the main divine service of the Christian Church.

Saint Basil the Great was especially venerated by representatives of the Grand-Ducal and Royal House of Rurikovich, he was the heavenly patron of Grand Duke Vassily III, the father of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible.

The figure of St. Basil the Great in the icon is half-length and full face. He is blessing with his right hand and has the closed Gospel in his left hand. He is robed in white phelonion and omophorion with black and brown crosses.

The style peculiarities of the icon allow to regard it as a work by a master close to icon-painting traditions of Dionysius' school.

Icon. Symbol of Faith

Kostroma. Mid-17th c. Wood, tempera. 133,3×115,0×3,3 cm. Entered From a temple of Kostroma in the 1960 ies.

The Symbol of Faith comprises truths of Christianity set forth briefly. The Symbol of Faith was composed and approved at I and IV Ecumenical Councils in the 4 th century. It consists of 12 parts.

Events and individual figures are combined in the icon in 12 border scenes it the order imposed by the text of the Symbol of Faith. All the border scenes are marked with initial words of parts of the Symbol of Faith.

The border scenes of the icon are (from the top left corner):
1. The Creation of the World.
Part I — "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible".
2. The Transfiguration.
Part II — "We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, true God of true God, Light of Light, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. By him all things were made".
3. The Annunciation.
Part III — "For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man".
4. The Crucifixion.
Part IV — "For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried".
5. The Resurrection. The Descent into Hell.
Part V — "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures".
6. The Ascension.
Part VI — "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father".
7. The Last Judgement.
Part VII — "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end".
8. The Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Part VIII — "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father".
9. People listening to the Prophet Predicting the Advent of Lord.
Part VIII — "With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
10. People Being Baptized by the Apostles.
Parts IX and X — "I believe in the one Catholic and Apostolic church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins".
11. Resurrecting the Dead on the Judgement-Day.
Part XI — "I look for the resurrection of the dead".
12. The Virgin's Garden Enclosed — the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Part XII — "And the life of the world to come. Amen".

Icon. Unbribable SS Cosmus and Damian, With Scenes From Their Lives and Feasts

Moscow. 16th c. Wood, tempera. 116,3×83,6×3,5 cm. Comes from the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatyev Monastery

SS Cosmus and Damian were venerated in Byzantine Empire as unbribable (disinterested) healers. In Russia they were also considered patrons of leather-dressers and smiths.

The icon is compound. It comprises 22 border scenes surrounding the central panel in which SS Cosmus and Damian are depicted full-length. Their figures are turned towards the centre, their arms, folded prayingly, are turned towards the image of the Trinity shown in the upper part of the central panel of the icon. The saints? poses, outlines, faces, clothes are quite identical. Only the colours of their clothes differ. The border scenes are surprisingly harmonious as to their colours and composition. The icon is painted according to traditions of the Moscow school of icon-painting of the 16 th century.

The border scenes of the icon are:
1. The Annunciation.
2. The Nativity of Christ.
3. The Candlemas.
4. The Epiphany.
5. The Resurrecting of Lazarus.
6. The Entry into Jerusalem.
7. The Transfiguration.
8. The Crucifixion.
9. The Resurrection. The Descent into Hell.
10. The Ascension.
11. The Descent of the Holy Spirit.
12. The Assumption of the Virgin.
13. The Nativity of SS Cosmus and Damian.
14. SS Cosmus and Damian Being Initiated into Learning.
15. SS Cosmus and Damian Being Worshiped.
16. The Parents of SS Cosmus and Damian Seeing Their Sons in the Temple.
17. The Appearance of the Heavenly Gift to St. Cosmus in His Dream.
18. Healing the Patient.
19. A Snake Creeping into the Mouth of the Sleeping Ploughman.
20. Healing the Ploughman.
21. The Burial of SS Cosmus and Damian.
22. Miracles of Healing at the Relics of SS Cosmus and Damian.

Icon. Apostle John the Theologian with Prokhor on the Isle of Patmos,
with Scenes from His Life

Kostroma. 16th — 17th cc. Wood, tempera. 146,0×111,2×3,5 cm. The icon entered from the church of St. John the Theologian of Kostroma in the 1950 ies.

St. John the Theologian, Apostle and Evangelist, the favourite disciple of Jesus Christ. After the death of Christ he propagated His Teaching in Jerusalem and Rome, for which he was persecuted and sent to the isle of Patmos where he wrote the book "The Revelation" (the Apocalypse) on the fate of the Church and the world. In Ephesus St. John wrote the Gospel and three Catholic Epistles. The depth of the theological teaching contained in St. John?s Gospel enabled the ancient Christian Church to regard it as created in the Holy Spirit and to call St. John the Theologian, i.e. the preacher of the Word.

The central panel of the icon shows St. John the Theologian in a mountian cave on the isle of Patmos, dictating the text of "The Revelation" to his disciple Prokhor. The central panel is surrounded by 23 border scenes of St. John' life and that of Prokhor. The main part of the icon was painted at the end of the 16 th century, but at the end of the 17 th century an addition was made to its lower part, with border pictures illustrating the parable of how St. John the Theologian taught a young goose-grazer icon-painting.

The border scenes of the icon are:
1. The Apostles Drawing Lots it Gethsemane.
2. St. John and Prokhor Sailing by Ship in Storm.
3. Prokhor Helping St. John to Come Ashore after a Ship-Wreck.
4. St. John and Prokhor Meeting the Woman, Romana by Name, in Ephesus.
5. St. John and Prokhor Working at the Baths.
6. Dioscoridus' Son Being Brought Back to Life.
7. St. John Healing Dioscoridus.
8. The Healing of the Youth.
9. St. John Baptizing the Inhabitants of Ephesus.
10. St. John Resurrecting the Dead.
11. St. John Healing the Weak Man.
12. Priest Cynopsus Commanding to Beat St. John.
13. St. John Driving Demons out of Cynopsus.
14. St. John Liberating Twelve Youths.
15. St. John Passing the Gospel to His Disciples.
16. The Burial of St. John.
17. The Young Goose-Grazer Coming to St. John.
18. St. John Writing a Letter to the Royal Icon-Painter Hinarius.
19. The Goose-Grazer Painting an Icon.
20. The Icon Being Brought to the King.
21. The Goose-Grazer Painting an Eagle by the King's Command.
22. The King Commanding to Let a Hawk into the Room.
23. The Icon Being Placed in the Church.

Icon. Saint Nicholas of Velikoretskoye, with Scenes from His Life.

Icon. Saint Nicholas of Velikoretskoye, with Scenes from His Life. Moscow. Mid-16th c. Wood, tempera. 56,5×46,5×2,7 cm. Endowed by Tsar John IV the Terrible to the Ipatyev Monastery in 1581 ies.

Saint Nicholas was the Bishop of the Mediterranean town of Miry in Likia (south-western part of Asia Minor). Born about 280, died about 345 and buried in the town of Miry. In Russia Saint Nicholas was universally venerated after the adoption of Christianity. Miracle-working icons of St. Nicholas were widely spread.

This icon was painted by command of Tsar John IV the Terrible as a copy from the miracle-working image of St. Nicholas found near the village of Velikoretskoye, the Vyatka Region/ John the Terrible sent the copy to the Ipatyev Monastery to pray for the repose of the soul of his son, Tsarevich Ivan.

In the central panel of the icon Saint Nicholas is shown with the closed Gospel in his left hand, the fingers of his right hand are closed in a blessing gesture. The colouring of the icon is based on the combination of light rich yellow, green, red and pink hues. Elegant elongated well-proportioned figures of personages, refined outlines of buildings, thin lines allow to refer the icon to monuments painted according to traditions of Dionysius' school.

The border scenes of the icon are:
1. Initiation of Saint Nicholas into Learning.
2. The Appearance of St. Nicholas to Eparch Eulavius in His Dream.
3. Youth Demetrius Being Saved from Drowning.
4. St. Nicholas Consecrating the Church of St. Simeon.
5. St. Nicholas Saving the Seafarers from Drowning.
6. The Three men Being Saved from Execution.
7. Agricola's Son Being Returned to His Parents.
8. The Burial of St. Nicholas.

New Testament Trinity, Forefather Isaac and Forefather Benjamin Icons

Kostroma. 1676. Wood, tempera. 135,0×47,0×3,3 cm.

Kostroma. 1676. Wood, tempera. 159,0×99,0×3,3 cm.

Kostroma. 1676. Wood, tempera. 135,0×47,0×3,4 cm.

The New Testament Trinity, Forefather Isaac and Forefather Benjamin icons formed part of the Forefather Range of the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity — Sypanov Pakhomyev Monastery of Nerekhta, the Kostroma Region. According to a monastery legend they were considered to be endowed by Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov. The authors of the icons are Kostroma icon-painters who have executed the royal order in conformity with the best traditions of the icon-painting workshop of the Armoury of the Moscow Kremlin.

The Forefather Range comprises top icons of a big many tier iconostasis. In the centre of the icon row is the New Testament Trinity icon, to the left and to the right of it icons of Old Testament forefathers (Old Testament ancestors of Christ) are disposed including those of Isaac and Benjamin.

The New Testament Trinity is an iconographical type of the Trinity: God Father, God Son, God Holy Spirit as a dove. This iconographical type, the New Testament Trinity, is based on the words of the Symbol of Faith: "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father", also "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified". In the upper part of the composition, in the centre the Holy Spirit is shown as a dove, in the middle part, to the right, Sabaoth (God Father), to the left Christ (God Son), both sitting on the throne.

Icon. The Virgin Eleousa (in icon — case and setting)

Moscow.15,16,17th cc. Icon — wood, tempera, gilding; icon setting — silver, stamping, gilding. Icon-case — wood, tempera; icon-case setting — silver, thin stamping; gilding, insert icon — bone, carving, silver, enamel, filigree. 43,3×32,3×2,5 cm (icon); 71,7×47,0×6,5 cm (icon-case); 6,5×4,8×0,7 cm (insert icon) Acq. No. КМЗ KOK 7573. Endowed by Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov to the Ipatyev Monastery.

The iconographical type Eleousa (a Greek word translated as "caressing") was finally formed by the 11 th century and widely spread in the medieval art of all European countries. In the icon the Virgin is shown, She is caressing Her Son, Jesus Christ, with Her both hands. Her look is full of love for people, at the same time She is grieving for the fate of Her Son.

The icon "The Virgin Eleousa" from the Ipatyev Monastery is one of the best works of this type which were created in Russia in the 17 th century. Due to the great skill of the icon-painter who has created the image full of high spirituality this work ranks among the best icons of the epoch.

The icon is mounted in the icon-case of earlier origin (the 16 th century). In the icon-case margins saints are depicted including the heavenly patrons of the Ipatyev Monastery — Apostle Philip and Saint Hypatius of Gangra. In a pocket made specially in the centre of the top margin the miniature icon "The Virgin Blacherniotissa" (the 15 th century) is mounted. It is carved in ivory and decorated with a precious setting.

Shroud of Christ. The Entombment

Moscow. End of the 16th c. Damask, gold embroidery. 181,0×107,0 cm. Endowed by Tsarina Irina Godunova to the Ipatyev Monastery in 1593 ies.

It is a symbol of the shroud in which Christ's body was buried after His death on Calvary. Shrouds are kept in every Orthodox temple as necessary attributes of divine services at Easter, the main Christian feast.

Shrouds were made of fabric, their central part comprised the Entombment composition. At the coffin containing Christ's body the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, Christ's disciples John, Nicodemus, Joseph were depicted. On the borders the text of the Easter canticle was embroidered.

The Shroud from the Vestry of the Ipatyev Monastery has, except the traditional composition, numerous circles with Deesis pictures as well as those of heavenly patrons of the Royal family of Godunov. The pictures are embroidered with gold, silver and silk threads.

The Shroud of the Ipatyev Monastery is made in the workshops of the Moscow Kremlin by the best royal embroideresses under the guidance of Tsarina Irina.