Individual images of holy wives in ancient Russian iconography of the XIV–XVI centuries

Pshenichnyi Petr Vladimirovich ORCID: 0009-0004-3704-0046 Postgraduate student; Department of the History of Russian Art; Lomonosov Moscow State University 119192, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, room G-420 pshenichniy321@gmail.com Other publications by this author

From the XIV-XVI centuries, many icons with individual images of holy wives have survived to the present day. We are talking about the most common images of svb at the time we are interested in. Paraskeva, Anastasia, Ekaterina, Varvara, Ulyana and Marina. The iconography of the listed holy martyrs, as a rule, does not deviate from the traditional norms of their time, which we can judge based on the encyclopedic Athos Book of Samples of the end of the XV century (RNB, Q.I.58) ^{[1, p. 133]}. It is noteworthy that in this document, the first to be presented are the svb. Marina, Ekaterina and Varvara, but there is no image of St. Paraskeva ^{[1, cat. 61-63]}, whose veneration, apparently, was especially widespread in Slavic countries (including Russia), compared with other regions of the Orthodox world ^{[2, p. 186]}.

V.V. Filatov drew attention to some features in the depiction of attributes in icons with St. Paraskeva, indicating the formation of an original tradition of worshipping her image in ancient Russian culture ^{[2, p. 185]}. He also pointed out that the cult of the holy martyr was much more extensive and complex than her iconography ^{[2, pp. 183-185]}. However, the specifics of the perception of these images have not been sufficiently investigated. The specific features of the iconography of other holy wives remained out of the field of view of scientists.

The subject of this article is the originality of iconographic variations of icons with the sole image of holy women in ancient Russian art of the XIV–XVI centuries. The purpose of the work is to determine the specifics of these images in the art of Ancient Russia on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of monuments with iconography of interest to us. To do this, we resort to the iconographic method of research. Using the method of typological analysis, we have given a classification of the material of interest to us, and the method of comparative analysis has allowed us to identify the specifics of ancient Russian monuments. The article also uses the method of comparative analysis of written and visual sources, which is necessary to reveal the meaningful features of the iconography of the works of interest to us.

The images we are considering are presented in various forms, the most common of which is the waist image of the martyr. This iconographic type existed in several versions: a frontal image with a hand frozen in a prayer gesture, an image of a martyr with a vessel and a cross in her right hand, as well as an image of a saint with an unfolded scroll on which the text of the Creed is placed. There are also full-length images of holy martyrs with such iconography.

One of the most striking monuments of the first variant is the icon of St. Nicholas, originating from Uglich. Varvara", the second half of the XIV century (GTG) ^{[3, cat. 49]}. The saint is represented in the traditional iconographic type, which developed relatively early in the art of Ancient Russia ^{[3, p. 122]}. Let's list the characteristic iconographic features of St. Barbara: a white headscarf, shoulder-length hair, a tiara, shoulder ornaments and precious handrails ^{[1, cat. 61]}. In such iconography, St. Varvara is depicted on an icon of the end of the XIV–beginning of the XV century, with updates of the XVI century (Pskov Museum) ^{[4, cat.14]}. Ancient painting is executed in a manner characteristic of the art of the XIV century, where researchers discover features of the Novgorod style ^{[4, p. 68]}. The emphasized rounded shape of the face is also a characteristic iconographic feature, indicating, according to hagiographic texts, the extraordinary beauty of the saint ^{[5, p. 28]}.

Figure 1 – St. Barbara. The second half of the XIV century. (GTG)

Figure 1 – St. Barbara. Second half of the 14th century (The Tretyakov Gallery)

The iconography of St. Barbara is stable, it persists with minor variations at a later time, as can be seen by the example of the icon with the image of the martyr of the late XV century, which originates from the Church of the Intercession in Volokolamsk (Sergiev Posad Museum) ^{[6, cat. 46]}. In this iconographic version, there is no plaque, the prayer gesture of the saint disappears, the cross is emphasized in a different way, but the fundamental features of the image remain unchanged.

The features of iconography mentioned by us are also present in the Pskov icon "St. Paraskeva" (Pskov Museum) ^{[4, cat. 3]}. Recall that this image of the holy martyr was previously defined as St. Ulyana ^[7]. Here the saint is represented with the iconographic features of two other holy wives: St. Barbara (shoulder ornaments and stone-encrusted handrails) and St. Barbara. Anastasia (the green color of the mafia). It is known that, according to legends, Ulyana Iliopolskaya suffered on the same day as St. Barbara ^{[8, pp. 558-560]}, therefore it can be assumed that in the artistic consciousness of the ancient Pskov and Novgorod residents there could well have been a situation where the attributes of holy wives were borrowed from each other. Thus, it should be noted that the iconography of certain holy martyrs often coincides, mixes, and the exact name of one or another saint in the absence of an inscription is not always possible to determine. In these cases, we encounter the use of iconographic features of one holy martyr in the image of another saint.

Apparently, this circumstance did not make it difficult to identify the images: we can assume that there was a certain syncretic image. Our observation is relevant not only to the iconography of Pskov, but also to the corresponding monuments in the art of other ancient Russian centers.

The Byzantine icon of the turn of the XIV – early XV century "St. Marina" (Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens) ^{[9, p. 290]} is a characteristic example of the art of its time, both in terms of the spiritual content of the image and in terms of iconography, where the main feature is the intense, deep red color of the robes. It is in this color that St. Marina's maforia is depicted in the Athos Book of Samples ^{[1, cat. 61]}. In Christian symbolism, it is associated with the ideals of sacrifice ^{[10, pp. 755-758]}. Another notable feature of the iconography of the holy martyr is the image of four–pointed crosses on the maphoria covering the head of the saint, as well as on the shoulders, which is found only in the images of the Mother of God ^{[9, p. 391]}. Apparently, this detail is intended to emphasize the general motives of veneration of holy wives and the Mother of God as protective images associated with the theme of Divine Wisdom ^{[11, p. 60]}. For example, in the collection of the monastery of St. The icon of the Mother of God Kyriotissa and St. John the Theologian, painted by Angelos Akotantos, is kept on the island of Patmos. Catherine", the first half of the XV century. ^{[12, cat. 35]}, where the Virgin image correlates with the figure of St. Catherine presented frontally on the same level.

The protective aspect of the veneration of images of holy wives is vividly expressed in the image of St. Paraskeva Friday, created by an unknown Ryazan master, in the middle of the XV century (GTG) ^{[13, Fig. 11.]}. On the right side field of the icon there is an inscription informing about the disaster suffered by the Ryazanians (it is believed that we are talking about the invasion of the Horde led by Mustafa in 1443 G.) ^{[2, pp. 188-189]}. This circumstance indicates the undoubted demand for the image and its high status. We also note the white veil of the saint, from under which strands of hair descend to the shoulders, which resembles a similar detail in the images of St. Barbara.

In the iconography of St. Paraskeva, which is traditional for Byzantine art, it is represented on an icon from the Pokrovsky Cathedral of the Rogozhsky cemetery ^{[14, cat. 4]}, where the image of the martyr is given frontally, in a red maphoria, with a cross in her hands, and the left hand, according to tradition, froze in a gesture of acceptance of grace, as on the icon of St. Paraskeva", in the middle of the XVI century. (Monastery of St. St. John the Theologian on the island of Patmos) ^{[15, cat. 48]}. In Novgorod art, we will point out an icon from the collection of A.I. Anisimov "Paraskeva Friday, with Nikola and Vlasii", of the end of the XV century (GTG), similar in iconographic design ^{[16, cat. 11]}. However, in the Byzantine icon, the image of Saint Paraskeva is even more accentuated and magnified by the fact that, like the images with Saint Nicholas of Myra, Paraskeva is represented together with Christ and the Mother of God flanking the main image.

Among the icons depicting holy wives endowed with the attributes of healing, one should mention the Byzantine work of the late XIV – early XV century. "St. Anastasia" (GE) ^{[17, cat. B-126]}. Let's note the contrast between the voluminously executed face and the flatly interpreted clothes. St. Anastasia, both by her very appearance and the frontal aspect of the image, expresses the idea of the indestructibility of faith: "The image of St. Anastasia is extremely classic and spiritual, all sizes, proportions, color combinations are balanced into a single harmony of color and line <...>; external beauty emphasizes inner spiritual strength, monumentality and the apparent simplicity of the construction of volumes symbolizes the spiritual fortitude and steadfastness of the Christian faith" ^{[17, p. 244]}.

Figure 2 – St. Anastasia. The beginning of the XV century. (GE)

Figure 2 – St. Anastasia. Beginning of the 15th century (The State Hermitage Museum)

The iconography of the work contains the most common signs of the image of this saint: St. Anastasia is represented with a cross, a vessel with healing ointments and in a traditional green maphoria. Such features of her iconography are recorded in the Book of Samples of the Athos monastery ^{[1, cat. 61]}. In ancient Russian art, the iconographic attributes of St. Anastasia were often mixed with those of St. Paraskeva. The colors of their robes were also interchanged, which indicates the significance of the syncretic image of the holy martyr.

There are several images of St. Paraskeva with iconographic features of St. Anastasia: These are the monuments of the second half of the XV century. " Paraskeva, with Nikola and Vlasii" (GTG) and "St. Paraskeva" from the Vologda Museum ^{[18, cat. 11]}, as well as the icon of the XV century. "St. Paraskeva" from the collection of K.V. Voronin ^{[19, cat. 3]}, each of which is marked by its iconographic features. In these works, the holy martyr, in addition to the traditional cross, also holds a vessel with healing ointments, which is typical for the iconography of St. Nicholas. Anastasia.

Figure 3 – St. Paraskeva, XV century. (collection of K. Voronin)

Figure 3 – St. Paraskevi. The 15th century (private collection of K. Voronin)

In the first case (that is, in the icon "Paraskeva Friday, with Nikola and Vlasii", already mentioned by us, at the end of the XV century.), on the sides of the central figure, in small green-blue medallions, there are waist images of two holy bishops who were especially revered in Novgorod, which undoubtedly indicates the special status of this martyr in the local culture. We often find a combination of images of these popular saints in Novgorod art, but they are always given on the same scale; here, these saints, in relation to whom the images of holy wives are lower in the hierarchy of holiness, on the contrary, elevate and emphasize the importance of the image of St. Paraskeva. The uniqueness of the icon lies in the fact that, despite the traditionality of the central image (the frontal waist figure, the red color of the maphoria), the saint is represented with an attribute borrowed from St. Anastasia. We can assume that in the minds of people of that time, the most revered holy wives - Paraskeva and Anastasia - united into a single image, combining their functions.

So, the second icon shows the image of St. Paraskeva Friday (from the village of Khotenovo near Kargopol; Vologda Museum). The icon contains the same features as in the work just reviewed.

The image on the third monument is marked by an important iconographic feature – an additional decoration on top of the traditional red maforium, namely the crown of the martyr, which is also found in the image of St. Paraskeva of the XVI century (GRM) ^{[20, cat. 391]}, in the image of St. Anastasia of the XVI century. (with antique restoration of the XIX century.; GTG) ^{[21, cat. 50]} and on the Kargopol icon of the second half of the XVI century with the shoulder image of St. Paraskeva Friday from the collection of R.G. Khasanov ^{[21, cat. 31]} – which also indicates a fusion of iconographic features.

In the XVI century, the iconographic type of holy women with an unfolded scroll in their hands containing the text of the Creed became widespread in Russia. As an example, one of the icons of the first quarter of the XVI century should be cited – "St. Paraskeva" (collection of the AP Foundation. St. Andrew the First-Called) ^{[22, cat. 64]}, as well as two Vologda icons: "St. Paraskeva", the middle of the XVI century. (Cherepovets Museum) ^{[23, cat. 29]} and "St. Anastasia", the last quarter of the XVI century (CMiAR) ^{[24, cat. 91]}. In these works, the raised and withdrawn hand of the martyr holding the cross resembles full-length images of this type, as, for example, on the icons of St. Nicholas. Varvara, with saints by month and holy wives", the end of the XV century., with updates of the XVIII century. (Perm Art Gallery) and "St. Paraskeva", the first half of the XVI century (GIM) ^{[25, cat. 59]}. On a Greek icon, late XV–early XVI century. "St. Anastasia" (GE) ^{[26, fig. 224]} the martyr is represented in full height, in a green maphoria and with the attributes of a healer, which is characteristic of her iconography. In accordance with the tradition of that time, a white cloth is depicted on top of the saint's maphoria. Images of holy martyrs with a cross in their hand at chest level are no less widespread, as, for example, on the icons of St. Nicholas. Paraskeva", the third quarter of the XVI century. (CMiAR) ^{[27, cat. 92]} and "St. Paraskeva", the last third of the XVI century. (private collection in Moscow) ^{[28, cat. 19]}. The above-mentioned features of their iconography echo the general idea of the syncretic image of the martyr; they express the essential motives of veneration of holy wives, associated both with steadfastness in the profession of faith and with the theme of purity and celibacy ^{[22, p. 316]}.

Let's summarize the results. The images of the holy women are marked by a pronounced tendency towards the semantic fusion of their figures into a single syncretic image reflecting the aspirations of the era, whether it be defensive motives or the theme of Christian fortitude. In the images we are interested in, we find some iconographic confusion: often the attributes of St. Anastasia can be found in icons containing the image of St. Paraskeva. The colors of the maforias of the two holy martyrs are sometimes interchanged, as well as individual elements of the iconography of St. Peter. Barbarians and Ulyans. In the art of Byzantium, the images of holy wives, as a rule, follow strictly established iconographic norms recorded in the Book of Samples of the Athos Monastery. Thus, the iconographic features of the monuments we study indicate that the images of holy wives had a more significant status in ancient Russian culture, compared with the capital's Byzantine art.