John the Theologian

The icon belongs to a special type of the images of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Baptist “in silence” which was widespread in the Russian iconography from the second half of the 16th century. Its distinctive feature is a gesture of the apostle’s hand holding one or two fingers to his the lips as the symbol of silence. On the icon is the symbol of the Evangelist – the eagle holding an inkstand in his beak. With his left hand the saint holds the Gospel showing the first words of the Gospel of John (“В начале // бе Слова // и Слово // бе Б(о)гу // и Б(о) гъ //бе Слова // сеи бе и // скони с // в[с]я темъ // быша и // безъ него”.) In the right margin of the icon is the full-length figure of St. Pelagia. 

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  General view