The oldest Novgorodian icons of St. Nicholas with the female saints and other chosen saints on the margins

Pshenichnyi Petr Vladimirovich ORCID: 0009-0004-3704-0046 Postgraduate student, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of History, Department of History of Russian Art 119192, Russia, Moscow, Moscow, Lomonosovsky Prospekt str., 27, building 4, room G-420 pshenichniy321@gmail.com Other publications by this author

The veneration of St. Nicholas of Myra was extremely widespread in the culture of Ancient Russia, which was embodied not only in a variety of iconographic versions of the image of this saint, but also in those shades of meaning that are conveyed by the stylistic features of specific monuments.

Of interest are those works where the image of St. Nicholas is given in the middle. St. Nicholas, and in the margins – the figures of the chosen saints. Such icons appeared in Byzantium ^{[1, p. 312]} and became widespread in the art of Orthodox countries, including in Russia, especially in Novgorod ^{[2, p. 226]}, even in the pre-Mongol era.

The subject of our study is that group of monuments where the margins of the icons with the central image of St. St. Nicholas's chosen saints include images of female holiness.

One of the purposes of this article is to interpret this statement, implying the use of an iconographic research method. Another aspect of our publication is equally important: based on the stylistic features of the monuments we are interested in, we find that the images of holy wives play a significant role in the artistic culture of ancient Novgorod.

Despite a certain interest in the problem of interpreting images of female holiness in the composition of the icons we are considering, researchers have not actively addressed this aspect of the topic. Some scholars have linked the appearance of figures of holy women in the iconographic composition of the work with their patronage functions ^{[3, p. 153; 2, p. 227]}. Others, resorting to the analysis of the iconography and compositional structure of the monument, gave other interpretations, assuming an internal roll call of the figures of paleos saints ^{[4, pp. 368-369; 5, pp. 273-274; 6, p. 149]}.   

The high level of artistic solution of the icon "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker", late XII–early XIII century., from the Novodevichy Monastery (GTG; fig. 1) ^{[5, cat. 9]}, testifies to the elite order of this monument, and the selection of selected saints in the fields, the monumental nature of the figures indicate that the icon was significant for the widest strata of the population ^{[6, p. 153; 7, p. 446]}. The iconography of St. Nicholas is traditional here: he is depicted frontally, with his right hand blessing those who stand in front of the image, and in his left hand covered with a homophore he holds the Gospel.

Figure 1 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with selected saints in the fields, late XII–early XIII century. (GTG)

Figure 1 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with chosen saints on the margins, late 12th–early 13th century (Tretyakov Gallery)

Of particular interest to our study are the images on the margins of this icon, where the master placed the chosen saints: in the upper field there is a prepared Throne (Etymasia), to the left and right of which Saints Cosmas and Damian are represented; in the side fields – St. John the Baptist. Boris and Gleb, Flor and Laurel, and the figures of St. Peter below. Evdokia and, probably, Euphemia; in the lower field are depicted the Saints. Paraskeva (?) and Fotinia. Although the images of interest to us occupy a subordinate position in the iconographic composition of the monument relative to other saints, nevertheless, they give additional shades to the theme of veneration of St. Nicholas. Nicholas of Myra.

The icon from the Novodevichy Monastery is a pious contribution, reflecting the wishes of the customer ^{[6, p. 149]}. However, in the iconographic composition of the monument, in addition to the patronage value of the images of the holy martyrs, there is also a motive associated with the theme of teaching and preaching the Gospel. It depends on the general facets of the veneration of holy wives ^{[5, p. 274]}. For example, St. Eudoxia was a nun ^{[8, c. 119]}, the martyr Fotinia was traditionally associated with a disciple of the Apostle Peter and with the Evangelical Samaritan woman with whom Christ conversed at the well of Jacob (John 4:5-30) ^{[5, c. 274]}, and from the stories about the posthumous miracles of St. Euphemia It is known that thanks to her direct intervention, the Orthodox faith was confirmed (we are talking about a miracle at the IV Ecumenical Council) ^{[9, p. 463]}. Thus, the figures of the holy wives we are interested in are designed to emphasize that facet of the cult of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas, who represents the Bishop of Myra as the affirmator of the true Church, which corresponds to the episcopal dignity of the saint ^{[7, p. 475; 5, p. 268]}.

This is expressed, first of all, through the compositional correlation of the figures of the martyrs with the image of the saint in the middle. The researchers note that the figures on the margins of the icon form, according to the interpretation of the composition, "... the semblance of a single community ... in which strict discipline reigns, unconditional submission to the spiritual authority ... of the wonderworker Nicholas of Myra – a sage, teacher and ascetic" ^{[6, p. 149; 5, p. 274]}. In the artistic structure of the image of St. Nicholas is attracted by the emphasized increase in the scale of the figure in the centerpiece, in contrast with the small images of paleos saints ^{[7, p. 446]}. In comparison with the small images of saints placed on relatively narrow margins, the codex of the Gospel looks particularly accentuated, which suggests the intentional nature of this technique ^{[6, p. 151]}.

Figure 2 – The salary of the icon "Apostles Peter and Paul", the second half of the XI century. (Novgorod Museum)

Figure 2 – The silver frame of the ‘Apostles Peter and Paul’ icon, the second half of the 11th century (Novgorod Museum)

Through the compositional structure of the monument, the artist emphasizes the ecclesiological aspect of the veneration of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas and, consequently, the significance of the holy women associated with the central image in the middle of the holy women as preachers of the Gospel.

As an iconographic parallel to the figures on the icon from the Novodevichy Monastery, it is necessary to point to the images of holy wives represented in other types of art of ancient Novgorod. This is, first of all, the silver salary of the icon of the XI century. "Apostles Peter and Paul" (Novgorod Museum; fig. 2) ^{[10, cat. 56]}, as well as two silver craters of the XII century with images of St. Peter. Anastasia ^{[11, cat. 197]} and the Barbarians ^{[10, cat. 2]} (Novgorod Museum; Fig. 3, 4). Researchers note that in the iconographic composition of the mentioned salary, the images of the Holy Cross. Thekla and the Barbarians (the fragment was lost during the Great Patriotic War ^{[10, p. 235]}) are presented not by chance, but in connection with the veneration of St. Nicholas. the Apostles ^{[12, p. 319]}, the ecclesiological semantics of whose figures is undeniable. This observation is confirmed by the very fact of placing images of female holiness on objects of liturgical use, which also indicates this aspect of the perception of these images ^{[10, p. 58]}.

Figure 3 – Costa's Master. Kratir, the end of the XI–beginning of the XII century. (Novgorod Museum)

Figure 3 – Master Kosta. Kratir, the end of the 11th–beginning of the 12th century (Novgorod Museum)

Figure 4 – Master Bratilo. Kratir, the end of the XI–beginning of the XII century. (Novgorod Museum)

Figure 4 – Master Bratilo. Kratir, the end of the 11th–beginning of the 12th century (Novgorod Museum)

Another motif that is contained in the iconographic composition of the images on the icon "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" from the Novodevichy Monastery, is associated with the perception of saints and, in particular, holy martyrs as apotropaic images. In the artistic structure of the icon, the motif of the intercession of the host of holy martyrs, led by St. Nicholas, before the Lord for the Christian Church at the Last Judgment sounds, as indicated by the image of the Throne prepared on the upper field. Such an image is one of the characteristic features of Novgorod painting.

Figure 5 – Alexa Petrov. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with the chosen saints, 1294 (Novgorod Museum)

Figure 5 – Alexa Petrov. St. Nicholas of Myra, with chosen saints, 1294 (Novgorod Museum)

As a compositional analogy to this image, the icon of St. Nicholas should be cited. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with selected saints, master Alexa Petrov, 1294 (The Novgorod Museum; fig. 5) ^{[13, cat. 4]}. The artistic structure of the icon expresses the idea of the prayerful standing of the Mother of God and the saints for Orthodox Christians at the Last Judgment of the Lord. This motif correlates both with the eschatological theme (Etymology) and with aspects of the cult of St. Nicholas himself – the universal intercessor, the patron saint of all Christians ^{[13, p. 108]}.

Figure 6 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with selected saints on the background and fields, the first half of the XIII century. (GRM)

Figure 6 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with chosen saints, first half of the 13th century (The Russian Museum)

Nevertheless, the iconographic reproduction of the Novgorod icon of the first half of the XIII century with the image of St. St. Nicholas and the chosen saints on the background and fields, from the Spiritual monastery (GRM; fig. 6) ^{[14, cat. 1]}, goes beyond the usual scheme. Protective, patronizing motives sound just as vividly in this icon, but they find a different compositional and stylistic expression. In this iconographic scheme, there is no Etymology in the upper field ^{[4, p. 357]}, the archangels do not address the prepared Throne, but directly to the Holy One himself. To Nicholas. There is no clear pattern in the selection of figures of saints, as is usually the case when images of a higher rank of holiness are located in the upper registers relative to figures of a lower rank.

In the centerpiece on both sides of the halo of St. The Nichols are placed in two medallions. These are St. Athanasius of Alexandria, the martyr Anisim ("Onesimus"), the elder Apostle Judas (probably Judas Thaddeus) and St. Catherine (in the red mafia). The side margins of the icon are heavily cut off, and there is a large loss and late insertion in the lower margin. However, it is clear that Simeon Stylites is depicted in the upper left field, St. Boris is in the register below, an unknown martyr is at the very bottom; in the right field is the martyr Evdokia, St. Gleb is below, and even lower is the martyr Florus. It can be assumed that such a choice of saints is dictated by the specific, patron nature of the order: the patron saints of a significant Novgorod family unknown to us are depicted here, and the figure of the martyr Evdokia in the right field is placed on the highest register. This may be evidence of the special role of the customer within the alleged family hierarchy. Another saint, unknown to us by name, in the lower left corner, is depicted in a red maphoria; unfortunately, it is not possible to identify her. The figures of some of the holy wives, which were presented in the lower case, are lost, while others, such as the unknown saint in the lower left corner, are poorly preserved.

It is noteworthy that the compositional structure of the image we study correlates with an earlier monument – the icon of St. Nicholas. Nicholas" from the Novodevichy Monastery (GTG): here, as in the previous icon, the image of the Gospel code is emphasized; the enlargement of the blessing hand attracts attention. The frontal, planar figure is designed in the spirit of painting of the XIII century. St. Nicholas is perceived as the head of the Church ^{[4, p. 357]}. Painting techniques play a key role in the interpretation of an artistic image – such as the absence of even a hint of lightness and transparency of the paint layer, as dense wide surfaces of evenly colored areas – everything creates an indestructible form, representing the saint as a pillar and affirmator of truth ^{[2, p. 227]}.

Researchers have already drawn attention to the unusual position of the figures on the upper field of this icon and in the medallions, where the saints are represented not frontally, as in the monuments given as an example, but in a three-quarter perspective, in a prayerful standing before the holy. Nicholas (the images of the archangels are especially noteworthy).

Images of saints form the border of the arched opening, the inner space of which is filled with the figure of the saint himself in the middle. The symbolism of the arch evokes a direct association with the image of the Universal Church, and the figure of the Myrlician saint, in the absence of the usual arrangement of the Etymology at the top ^{[4, p. 357]}, with the sacrificial throne ^{[4, p. 366]}. The ecclesiological aspect of the perception of the image of St. The semantic role of the few figures of the holy wives placed on the margins of the icon and in the medallions on the background is undeniable.

The image of St. Catherine, presented near the figure of the Myrlician wonderworker, expresses the idea of affirming and preaching the gospel truth. According to the life, St. Catherine was brilliantly educated, which allowed her to overthrow pagan seduction with reasonable arguments ^{[15, p. 100]}, and later the saint was perceived as an intercessor for the souls of Christians at the Last Judgment ^{[16, p. 94-96]}. These facets of the perception of the cult of St. Catherine allow us to assume the relationship of her veneration with the veneration of St. Nicholas of Myra.

The image of an unknown saint in a red maphoria (in the lower left corner of the monument) can be identified with St. Paraskeva. In the liturgical program of the work, the image of the martyr, which embodies not only the image of perseverance, but also one of the central events of Christian history (the name of the saint means "Friday" in Greek, which indicates the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior) ^{[17, p. 587]}, becomes a necessary semantic element in the overall design of the iconographic ensemble.

So, the iconographic composition of the icon from the Spiritual Monastery reveals a complex program for the selection of selected saints, implying not only the motives of patronage to certain specific Novgorodians, but, more broadly, the entire Novgorod land, including, of course, future generations of the customer's family ^{[4, pp. 368-369]}. This is indicated by the combination within the framework of one composition of the figures of St. Nicholas common in the Novgorod culture of the XIII–XIV centuries. Simeon Stylites, Flora and the Holy Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, as well as the unusual arrangement of images of holy wives as part of paleos saints in medallions and in the centerpiece of the icon.

Figure 7 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the second half of the XV century. (GTG)

Figure 7 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the second half of the 15th century (Tretyakov Gallery)

Let's summarize the results. Firstly, the composition and location of the figures in the most ancient Novgorod icons with the central image of St. Nicholas of Myra and with selected saints in the margins indicate the significant role of images of holy wives in the Novgorod culture of the pre-Mongol period.

Secondly, these images appear as characters correlated with ecclesiological themes, which is connected both with the peculiarities of their veneration and with the specifics of their placement in the iconographic program of monuments, including on liturgical objects.

Figure 8 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the beginning of the XVI century. (Rostov Museum)

Figure 8 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with Deesis and the chosen saints, beginning of the 16th century (Rostov Museum)

Figure 9 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with selected saints, late XV–early XVI century. (Vladimir-Suzdal Museum)

Figure 9 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with chosen saints, the end of 15th–beginning of the 16th (Vladimir-Suzdal Museum)

Another aspect of the perception of the compositions we have considered is also important: the holy wives, with their probable patronage function in relation to the customer's family, simultaneously appear as intercessors and protectresses of Novgorodians and, more broadly, Orthodox Christians (as in the icon of St. St. Nicholas of the Dukhov Monastery, in the State Duma).

Figure 10 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with the deesis rank and selected saints, the first half of the XVI century. (Arkhangelsk Museum)

Figure 10 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the first half of the 16th century (Arkhangelsk Museum)

This facet of the perception of images of holy women in the composition of the icons of interest to us with the image of St. The difference in the middle will become especially noticeable when analyzing later material – works of the XV–XVI centuries. As examples, it is necessary to point out a number of monuments with a similar compositional structure: images of St. Nicholas with selected saints, in the GTG (the second half of the XV century; fig. 7) ^{[18, cat. 16]}, in the Rostov Museum (early XVI century; fig. 8) ^{[19, Cat. 31]}, in the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum (late XV–early XVI century; fig. 9) ^{[20, cat. 17]}, in the Arkhangelsk Museum (the first half of the XVI century; fig. 10) ^{[21, cat. 44]}, as well as in the timing (the first half of the XVI century; fig. 11) ^{[22, cat. 101]}. All these works are united by a stable circle of figures of a few holy wives as part of the chosen saints in the lower field. They represent a compositional parallel to the deesis rank depicted above. This emphasizes the importance of the saints depicted below. At this time, those images of female holiness that are associated with evangelical events and the theme of perseverance in faith (such as St. Paraskeva Friday), or have pronounced motives for appearing at the Last Judgment (St. Catherine), acquire special importance. These aspects of the veneration of holy wives, which existed even in pre-Mongol times, correlate not least with the protective functions of the figure of St. Nicholas himself. Nicholas, which reveals a deep symbolic relationship between these images and the figure of the Myrlician wonderworker.

Figure 11 – St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the first half of the XVI century. (GRM)

Figure 11 – St. Nicholas of Myra, with Deesis and the chosen saints, the first half of the 16th century (The Russian Museum)