Holy monk St. Sergius of Radonezh with scenes from his life and the Legend of Mamai’s Battle

In the top left corner of the central composition w can see St. Sergi appearing before Grand Duchess Sofia Paleologus$ to the right – a vision of the angel helping St. Sergi with divine service and St. Sergi’s vision of fire, while conducting liturgy; below - St.Sergi's miraculous appearance during the Lithuanian siege of the town Opochka. In the upper right corner – St. Sergi miracoluosly appears at the site of the founding of the town Sviyazhsk and the addition of new lands of the Volga Cheremis; below – appearance of St. George as he sprinkles the walls of Kazan with holy water. In the bottom left corner – the Poles besiege the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery as the city is besided by Polish troops. On the attached board in the upper left corner the Grand Duke Dmitri Ivanovich is praying before an image of the Savior, talking to Metropolitan Kiprian and sending notes to his allies. Below are depicted the towns and cities who helped Dmitri: Belosersk, Yaroslavl, Kurba, Rostov, Vladimir, Novgorod; near the the left edge there are cities with red towers – Riazan and Lithuania, who were Mamai’s allies. Over the picture of Taroslavl we can see Dmitri Ivanovich and Vladimir Andreevich asking Holy Monk St. Sergi for warrior-monks – Peresvet and Osliabia. In the center of the panel is represented Moscow with the Assumption Cathedral, where Grand Duke Dmitri and Vladimir. Warriors ride out of the gate of Moscow, guided by the metropolitan, above, inside a house – a group of women. To the right there certain episode thet took place before the battle and Battle of the Kulikovo Field itself with Peresvet and Osliabia, as well as with the heavenly host; below the picture of the battle. On the bottom border of the addition there are scenes of the burial of the perished warriors, of the reception of Grand Duke Dmitrii in Kolomna and Moscow and Mamai’s flight and his murder in Kafa.

Border-scenes:

1. Hospitality of Abraham.
2. Birth of Varvolomei (Sergi).
3. The child Varfolomei refuses to drink maternal milk on fast days.
4. Baptism of Varfolomei.
5. Beginning of education.
6. An elder appears before the infant Varfolomei.
7. Varfolomei departs for the Hill Makovets.
8. Varfolomei takes the vows under the direction of Hegumen Mitrophan, receving the name Segi.
9. Monks come to see St. Sergi, monastery is founded.
10. St. Sergi is being tempted by demons.
11. St. Serge works in the monastery.
12. The brethren ask St. Sergi to become hegumen.
13. Being ordained deacon.
14. Being ordained priest.
15. St. Sergi brings his disciple Andronik to become hegumen of the Spasski Monastery in Moscow.
16. St. Sergi leaves the monastery and builds the church on the Kirzhach River.
17. Birds appear before St. Sergi while he is praying in his cell.
18. Virgin Mary appears before St. Sergi.
19. Curing a blind bishop.
20. Reviving a boy.
21. Burial of St. Sergi.
22. Healing Dimitri.
23. Healing a possessed monk.
24. Healling an infant with a paralyzed hand.

Inv. № 394. © Yaroslavl Art Museum

Bibliography:

Иконы Ярославля XIII — середины XVII века. М., 2009. Т. 1. Кат. № 95.

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  General view