Finely executed image of Our Lady of Smolensk. Christ's himation is decorated with intense chrysigraphy. The background is stripped to gesso. 

Our Lady of Smolensk is the name of an ancient miracle-working icon and one of the most highly venerated icons in Russia. According to tradition, after the fall of Constantinople, the original icon painted by St. Luke surfaced in Russia, where it was placed in the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk and therefore referred to as Our Lady of Smolensk. The original icon, dated by art historians to the 11th century, is now believed to have been destroyed by fire during the German occupation of Smolensk in 1941, but a great number of copies were made throughout the century, some of considerable historical and artistic value of their own.

The icon depicts Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in silence. The Apostle John is shown in the later years, as the elder “Theologian” holding the Gospel in his hands. To his left, an angel is shown whispering the Gospel into John’s ear, yet the Apostle does not look to him but casts his eyes down in contemplation. To his right - an eagle, an animal seen as the king of the birds, traditionally symbolizing St. John. The Saint’s right hand is raised up, making the sign of the cross over his mouth, guarding it lest he was to say something from his own imagination: the great Evangelist is reduced to silence.

The Holy Archangel Michael is one of the most celebrated of the Angels called the Archistrategos, or chief commander, of all the bodiless powers. According to the Holy Scripture and Tradition, he has interceded for humanity multiple times and continues to serve as the Defender of the Faith. Saint Michael is most often invoked for protection from invasion by enemies and from civil war, and for the defeat of adversaries on the field of battle.

The Archangel is depicted full-bodied wearing a suit of armor with a red cape with the image of Christ not made by human hands above him. His prolonged wings are outstretched, his sword is pulled and raised. The red colored cape and the wings have rich gold folds.

Текст на свитке: «Не скорбите, братия, но по сему разумейте, аще угодно суть пред Богом дела моя будут, то не оскудеет обитель наша»

The icon is depicting four chosen saints shown full-figured in two facing pairs: on the left - and Saint Martyr Cyprian and Saint James the Greater, on the right - St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and St. Martyress Eudocia. Above them, in the upper center, there is an image of Christ's Descent Into Hell. Christ is shown breaking down the doors of Hell, binding Satan and rescuing Adam and Eve.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and Bishop of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. 

Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children, and students in Greece, Belgium, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Albania, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro. He is also the patron saint of Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Barranquilla, Bari, Beit Jala, Fribourg, Huguenots, Kozani, Liverpool, Paternopoli, Sassari, Siggiewi, and Lorraine. His feast day is 6 December. 

The icon is covered by a parcel-gilt silver revetment cover stamped with Moscow town mark dated 1886 and workmaster's initials HC.

Twin brothers Saints Florus and Laurus are venerated as Christian martyrs buried alive in an empty well for their faith in the 2nd century. They are considered to be the holy patrons of horses in Russia and on their Feast day the Russian peasants lead their horses around the church to honor the Saints.

The icon depicts Holy Apostle and Evangelist Saint John the Theologian. The Apostle John is painted in a realistic manner and shown as a young man in a process of writing the Gospel. To his left, an eagle - a king of birds, that traditionally symbolized St. John. The round shape of the icon alludes to that it was originally a part of the Royal Doors of an iconostasis. The composition and a style of painting closely resembles an iconographic portrait of St. John the Theologian painted in 1809 by a famous Russian artist Vladimir Borovikovsky for the Royal Doors of the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg (currently in the collection of the State Russian Museum), 

Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow of Moscow is the name of a popular wonderworking Russian Orthodox icon. The icon dates to a miracle that occurred on October 24, 1688, when a woman named Euphemia received healing from sickness after obeying a voice telling her to find this icon and have the priest celebrate a prayer with blessing of water. The design of this icon depicts the Mother of God, depicted full-figured standing with her Son in Heaven and God the Father above her in the clouds. Along both sides of the icon, framing the Mother of God, depicted are many suppliants asking for her intercession. The tenderness and kindness of a loving mother are evident in her face as She stands in paradise and yet among us.

Finely executed with gold highlights. Minor areas of retouching.

Christ Pantocrator refers to a specific depiction of Christ. The most common translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful". In this understanding, Pantocrator is a compound word formed from the Greek words for "all" and the noun "strength" (κρατος). This is often understood in terms of potential power; i.e., the ability to do anything, omnipotence. The iconic image of Christ Pantocrator was one of the first images of Christ developed in the Early Christian Church and remains a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the half-length image, Christ holds the Gospels in his left hand and makes the gesture of blessing with his right.

Saint Nicholas is depicted frontally half-figured wearing bishop’s clothes, blessing with his right hand and holding open Gospels with his left one showing inscription from Luke 6:17 “At that time Jesus stood on the plain, [and a multitude of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases]”. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary offering a bishop’s omofor, both in Heavens are shown behind him. He is flanked by St. Prophet Naum and St. Reverent Alexander.

The Holy Mandylion icon represents the first not made by human hands image of the Savior miraculously created by Christ himself. According to the Christian tradition, King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, asking him to come to cure him of an illness. Instead, one of the seventy disciples, Thaddeus, is said to have come to Edessa, bearing the words and an image of Jesus, by the virtues of which the king was miraculously healed. To create his likeness, Jesus used a face cloth that miraculously bore the image of His face. This image of Christ preserved on the face cloth was kept and venerated in Edessa and became known as “The Holy Image of Edessa”, the “Holy Mandylion” (from Greek “face cloth”), or “The Image Not Made With Human Hands”. This iconographic type is widely used by both the Eastern and the Western Christian Churches. 

In Russia, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is often shown as Holy Hierarch Nicholas of Mozhaysk, depicting a full-length Nicholas with a sword in his right hand and a city in his left. According to the legend, during the 14th-century siege of Mozhaysk city by Mongols, the residents prayed to Saint Nicholas, who announced himself as a huge figure holding a sword in the right hand and the city of Mozhaisk on the palm of the left hand. After seeing such a frightful vision the Mongols retreated. The grateful citizen erected a wooden monument to Saint Nicholas as he was seen during his announcement.  

The Archangel Gabriel is the exalted Messenger of God, whose name means "The Strength of God" and whose deeds are recorded in the Jewish scriptures, where the spirit aided the Prophet Daniel in the interpretation of his dream-visions. Although an important Jewish angel, Gabriel has touched the lives of those of different religions as well. In the Christian Bible, it is Gabriel who brings important news to Zachary and the Virgin Mary concerning their children-to-be, and many Christians believe that at the Last Judgement Gabriel will blow a sacred trumpet horn. Because of Gabriel's role as a communicator and mediator between Heaven and Earth, Christians hold the Archangel to be a Patron Saint of broadcasters, telecommunications workers, diplomats, messengers, postal workers, and stamp collectors. Because Gabriel helped the prophet Daniel interpret his dreams, those seeking similar aid with their own dream work may petition the Archangel for help. Additionally, because Gabriel announced the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, women hoping for heavenly assistance in trying to conceive children have reported benefits from keeping an Angel Gabriel icon in the home.

Our Lady of Smolensk is name of an ancient miracle working icon and one of the most highly venerated icons in Russia. According to the tradition, after the fall of Constantinople, the original icon painted by St. Luke  surfaced in Russia, where it was placed in the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk and therefore referred to as Our Lady of Smolensk. The original icon, dated by art historians to the 11th century, is now believed to have been destroyed by fire during the German occupation of Smolensk in 1941, but a great number of copies were made throughout the century, some of the of considerable historical and artistic value of their own.

Saint Nicholas of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children, and students in Greece, Belgium, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Albania, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro. He is also the patron saint of Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Barranquilla, Bari, Beit Jala, Fribourg, Huguenots, Kozani, Liverpool, Paternopoli, Sassari, Siggiewi, and Lorraine. His feast day is 6 December. 

 Writing on the pages of the Gospels is a quote from the Gospels of Luke (6:17): "And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon."

Saint Nicholas of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children, and students in Greece, Belgium, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Albania, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro. He is also the patron saint of Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Barranquilla, Bari, Beit Jala, Fribourg, Huguenots, Kozani, Liverpool, Paternopoli, Sassari, Siggiewi, and Lorraine. His feast day is 6 December. 

The icon is depicting two Orthodox Saints from the Volga region - St. Venerable Stephan, Abbot of Makhra who died in schema in 1406 and St. Abraham of Bulgaria, a Christian convert from Islam made a martyr and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who died in 1229.

Our Lady of Kazan is a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church and considered a palladium of Russia for centuries, until its theft and likely destruction in 1904. The icon represents the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan. It is a close-up variant of the Hodegetria (Directress) style, it is noted mainly for the Child standing, with the Virgin chest-length. The Kazan icons are traditionally small, following the original. The Kazan icon was very popular in Russia, especially as a wedding gift, and many copies were made in the design of the original. Two major Kazan Cathedrals, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, as are numerous churches throughout the land. Her feast days are July 21 and November 4. 

Our Lady of Kazan is a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church and is considered a palladium of Russia for centuries until its theft and likely destruction in 1904. The icon represents the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan. It is a close-up variant of the Hodegetria (Directress) style, it is noted mainly for the Child standing, with the Virgin chest length. The Kazan icons are traditionally small, following the original. The Kazan icon was very popular in Russia, especially as a wedding gift, and many copies were made in the design of the original. Two major Kazan Cathedrals, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, as are numerous churches throughout the land. Her feast days are July 21 and November 4. 

Saint Nicholas is depicted frontally half-figured wearing bishop’s clothes, blessing with his right hand and holding open Gospels with his left one. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary offering a bishop’s omofor, both in Heavens are shown behind him. Eighteen roundels on the borders depicting the Deisis, Archangels, and Prophets.

Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow of Moscow is the name of a popular wonderworking Russian Orthodox icon. The icon dates to a miracle that occurred on October 24, 1688, when a woman named Euphymia received healing from sickness after obeying a voice telling her to find this icon and have the priest celebrate a prayer with blessing of water. The design of this icon depicts the Mother of God, depicted full-figured standing with her Son in Heaven and God the Father above her in the clouds. Along both sides of the icon, framing the Mother of God, depicted are suppliants  asking for her intercession assisted by angels. The tenderness and kindness of a loving mother are evident in her face as She stands in paradise and yet among us.

Russian Orthodox eight-ended cross with a scene of the Crucifixion surmounted by two angels and image of God the Father.

The icon is depicting three full-figured female saints: St. Pelagia of Antioch & St. Tais of Egypt (two repentant saints sharing the same feast day of October 8), and St. Martyress Mariana.

Saint Nicholas is depicted frontally half-figured wearing bishop’s clothes, blessing with his right hand and holding open Gospels with his left one. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary offering a bishop’s omofor, both in Heavens are shown behind him. Eighteen roundels on the borders depicting the Deisis, Archangels, and Prophets.

Our Lady of Smolensk is name of an ancient miracle working icon and one of the most highly venerated icons in Russia. According to the tradition, after the fall of Constantinople, the original icon painted by St. Luke  surfaced in Russia, where it was placed in the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk and therefore referred to as Our Lady of Smolensk. The original icon, dated by art historians to the 11th century, is now believed to have been destroyed by fire during the German occupation of Smolensk in 1941, but a great number of copies were made throughout the century, some of the of considerable historical and artistic value of their own.

Saint Nicholas of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. 

Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children, and students in Greece, Belgium, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Albania, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro. He is also the patron saint of Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Barranquilla, Bari, Beit Jala, Fribourg, Huguenots, Kozani, Liverpool, Paternopoli, Sassari, Siggiewi, and Lorraine. His feast day is 6 December. 

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and Bishop of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints.