Saint Leonty Rostovsky, with the scenes from his life

Iconography:  Leontius, the bishop of Rostov, St., Hagiographic cycle of Leontius of Rostov

Date: XVII century. Ca. 1677

Origin: From the Church of St. Nicholas of Zaryadsk

Material: Wood, tempera

Dimensions:  height 100 cm, width 78 cm

The saint is shown in a frontal position, with hands spread apart, wearing full clerical clothes and a white hood. He is blessing with his right hand and holds in his right a Gospel book covered with a red liturgical cloth. Around the centerpiece, against a dark-cherry background, is inscribed the text of Troparion to Leonty, written in an ornamental script. The centerpiece is surrounded by 24 border scenes with scenes from the life of the saint, accompanied by inscriptions. Side borders of the icon are cut so the inscriptions have survived only in fragments. 


Border scenes: 

1. The nativity of St. Leonty 

2. The baptism of St. Leonty 

3. St. Leonty being taught grammar 

4. St. Leonty goes to monastery 

5. St. Leonty takes the monastic vows 

6. St. Leonty has a vision during a prayer 

7. Patriarch Photios has a vision during a prayer 

8. Patriarch Photios comes to monastery for Leonty 

9. The meeting of Photios and Leonty 

10. A conversation between Patriarch Photios and Leonty 

11. St. Leonty consecrated bishop 

12. St. Leonty makes his way to Rostov aboard a boat 

13. St. Leonty meets pagan citizens of Rostov 

14. St. Leonty serves a liturgy in the Church of Archangel Michael 

15. St. Leonty teaches children 

 16. St. Leonty baptizes children 

17. Pagan citizens of Rostov go to kill St. Leonty 

18. St. Leonty baptizes the citizens of Rostov 

19. The entombment of St. Leonty in Rostov 

20. St. Leonty heals Ivan from eye disease 

21. St. Leonty heals prince Ivan from fiery disease 

22. The healing from St. Leonty’s relics 

23. The healing of a man possessed with demons 

24. The healing of a mad woman

Deposited in the Museum in 1930. Restored in the Grabar Restoration Center in 1993 by Ye. I. Melnikova 

  • General view