Selected Saints with Relics
19th century
Russia
Egg tempera on wood with metal oklad
R2011.89
Selected Saints with Relics, 1800s Russia
The word "relic" comes from the Latin word "remains" and refers to parts of a saint's bod or other artifacts that are kept for veneratio or as a memorial. Many Orthodox Christian believe that because saints have been transformed by divine grace, miracles can be performed through them or their relics.
Relics are kept in shrines called reliquaries th are most often found in monasteries and churches. Every altar (holy table) must have a relic within it. Relics are also sewn into the antimension, a cloth that is an essential part the altar. Wooden icons with the relics of the depicted saints, like the one here, are quite ra An inscription on the back of this icon tells us its history. It was donated to the Uspenski Church in Tulcea in 1874 by Archbishop Anthony of Moscow (1863-1881) for whom it had been especially commissioned.
TOP ROW, FROM LEFT:
Saint Peter of Athos, Saint Averkios of Hierapolis, Christ Pantocrator, Saint Archdiacon Stephanois, Saint Onufrios of Athos
MODLE ROW, FROM LEFT:
Saint Cosmas, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Saint Damian, Saint Anthony Pecerskij, Saint Ephrem the Syrian
BOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT:
Saint Florus, Saint Vladimir, Saint Laurus, Saint Boris, Saint Gleb
St Cyril Belozerski
16th Century (mid)
Russia
Wood, egg tempera
2002,1101.1
St Cyril (1337–1427) was the founder (in 1397) and abbot of the Belozerski monastery on the south side of the White Lake in the far north-west of Russia. The iconography of the Museum’s icon follows the standard format known from an icon at his tomb (late 15th–early 16th century) and his 'vita' icon (early 16th century), both in the Russian Museum, St Petersburg. The text written on his scroll is the same as on his 'vita' icon (see: Vzdornov, Danilova et al, 2002, pls 37–8). The cult of St Cyril Belozerski was particularly venerated in Novgorod and northern Russia.
St John the Baptist
1300
Constantinople
Wood. linen, gold, gesso
1986,0708.1
Many Byzantine representations of St John the Baptist depict him as emaciated and unkempt, as an ascetic and a man of the wilderness. By contrast, this icon shows him with dishevelled hair and a straggly long beard but as a calm and noble figure. The figure has a strong presence, seeming to come forward from the panel: the illusion is created by the firm modelling of the flesh and garments against the un¬relieved gold ground and by the extension of the figure and the halo on to the raised border.
The dating depends on seeing stylistic parallels with mosaics and frescoes in the parekklesion of the church of St Mary Pammakaristos, now the Fetiye Camii, in Istanbul. If accepted, the connection suggests both a Constantinopolitan provenance and a date of around 1300. The nobility of the figure is also in line with the grand and monumental mosaic of the Deisis in St Sophia (dateable to 1261) where St John Prodromos is on the right of the panel in the South Gallery (Robin Cormack).
St Mark the Evangelist
1650-1700
Karelia
Europe: Russia (Europe): Karelia
Wood, gesso
1983,0402.1
In the Early Christian period Mark’s Evangelist symbol was an eagle according to Irinaeus of Lyons (c. 130–200), although later authors such as St Hieronymus (c. 341–420) and Augustine of Hippo (354–430) took his symbol to be a lion (see Galavaris 1979, 36–49). Russian Old Believers from the time of the schism around 1650, returned to the eagle as the ancient symbol of Mark. Sanctuary doors in the Orthodox Church traditionally depict images of the four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Saint Margaret and the Dragon
ca. 1520
French
Limestone with polychrome
2014.3.12
Pregnant women pray to Saint Margaret because of the miracles that embellish her life. According to medieval lore, Margaret's conversion to Christianity enraged the devil, who transformed into a fire-breathing dragon and swallowed her whole. The cross she had with her miraculously grew larger and larger until it split the devil in two, allowing Margaret to escape. Ever devout, she then prayed that her deliverance might comfort those suffering the pains of childbirth.
Here, Margaret clutches her cross as she tramples the dragon. Her calm demeanor and prayerful pose reflect her unshakeable faith, reassuring those women who turn to her for strength.
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas (270-342) was raised in the Church by his uncle and traveled to the Holy Land before becoming Bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). One of the most venerated saints in the Orthodox Church, he is renowned as a protector of children and a supporter of the weak and the poor. Stories of his miracle-working are widespread, and new tales of his intercession still emerge today. Known for gift-giving, he is also associated with Christmas.
In many icons, he holds a book opened to Christ's Sermon on the Mount that reads, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God" (Matthew 5:3). In the icon nearby, Nicholas holding a sword in one hand and a church in the other, identifying him as a defender of the faith. In this icon, Nicholas wears a scarf-like cloth called an omophorion, which refers to a miracle from his life. In 325, he participated in the First Council of Nicaea, a meeting of Christian leaders who standardized the Orthodox faith. After beating an irreverent councilmember, Nicholas was stripped of his bishop's clothes and jailed. There he received a vision of the Mother of God and Christ, who dressed him in the cloth, absolving his guilt and reinstating him as a bishop.
Saint Nicholas
ca. 1530
Palekh, Russia
Egg tempura on wood
Enamel
Enamel is a form of powdered glass that is heated until it melts. Greek goldsmiths began using the material as early as the 500s and exported enameled work to customers as far away as southern Russia. Enamel's jewel-like qualities made it widely appealing, and it was soon being used to adorn icons, housewares, and jewelry throughout Russia. By the late 1600s artists at the Kremlin in Moscow were recognized as masters of enameling techniques, and the famous House of Faberge jewelers, founded in 1842, expanded its popularity. By 1851, enamel was so closely identified with Russian culture that the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society commissioned a study of Russian enamels from the pre-Mongolian period (ca. 900-1100) to the 1600s.
Saint Nicholas
1800s
Russia
Egg tempera on wood with gilded and enameled silver
2014.3.7
The engraving and enameling that adorns this icon of Saint Nicholas represents some of the finest metalwork in this exhibition. Iconographers rarely sign their works so that the faithful will focus their attention on the icon's divine source, but this ornate oklad, or covering, bears the metalworker's stamp. Icon collectors with means would have sought out elaborate craftsmanship, using such stamps to identify specific artisans.
Sophia – Divine Wisdom
1600s
Novgorod, Russia
Egg tempera on wood
The figure of Sophia, a symbol of divine wisdom, comes from the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, in which Solomon says:Wisdom has built her house, she has erected its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine, she has also set her table. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, "Let all who are simple come to my house!...Come eat my food and drink my wine. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight" (Proverbs 9:2-6)
A metaphor for the Orthodox Church, Sophia appears at center, seated on a seven-pillared throne with the Mother of God and John the Baptist on either side. Her red skin and clothing represent the "fire of the Spirit" and her wings indicate her divinity. The angles behind her roll up the heavens like a carpet, preparing the throne where Christ will sit in judgment.
British Museum 1998,0605.21
The Beheading of John the Baptist
17th Century (late)
Yaroslavl (?)
Europe: Russia (Europe): Yaroslavl (oblast): Yaroslav
Egg tempera, gesso on wood.
John the Baptist (d. c. 30), the ‘forerunner’ of Jesus Christ, was the son of Zachariah, a Temple priest, and his wife Elizabeth, who was a cousin of the Virgin Mary. John himself baptized Christ and acknowledged him as the Messiah. When John denounced the incestuous marriage of Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and Herodias he was arrested, imprisoned and executed (Matthew 14:1–12)
In both Byzantine and Russian iconography John the Baptist is normally depicted as a hermit in the wilderness wearing a goatskin and ‘himation’; he is often winged, a type called the ‘Angel of Wilderness’. In Russian art of the 17th century narrative versions of John the Baptist became more popular and include such subjects as his beheading; this scene starts to appear on smaller icons. The Museum’s icon follows the iconographic tradition in its rendering of several scenes on the same panel. The iconography is ultimately derived from Matthew 14:1–12.
Tzarevich Dimitrii and Prince Roman of Uglych
17th Century
Russia
Wood, gesso, silver
1998,0605.5
Prince Dimitri (1582–91), the youngest son of the Tsar Ivan IV and the heir to the Russian throne, was murdered by assassins in Uglych following the political intrigues surrounding the death of Ivan IV. His remains were discovered in Uglych in 1606 and transferred to the cathedral of the Archangel Michael in the Kremlin. He is venerated as a martyr and ‘Wonder-Worker’.
Prince Roman of Uglych (1235–85) ruled the principality from the death of his older brother Andrew in 1261 until 1265. His prayers were believed to have saved Uglych from the Mongol invasion. He is remembered as a great builder having constructed more than 15 churches. His remains were discovered undecayed in the church of the Transfiguration in Uglych in 1486 and subsequently transferred to a new church of the Transfiguration in Uglych.
As local ‘Wonder-Workers’ both saints were especially venerated in the 17th century when their iconography became firmly established.
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