Icon info

St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (St. Nicholas of Zaraisk) with scenes from his life

Iconography:  Nicholas of Zaraysk, St.

Date: XV century. End of the 15th century

Iconographic school/art center:  Novgorod (?)

Origin: From the church of The Holy Virgin (Dormition church) in Vladimir

Material: Wood, levkas, tempera

Dimensions:  height 153 cm, width 117,2 cm

The centerpiece shows saint Nicholas the Wonderworker full-length, his hands spread apart. His right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, his left hand holds the Gospel book on the cloth. The saint is shown in the attire of archiereus: greenish grey under-tunic of the bishop with brown stripes, ochroid epitrachelion, epigonation and liturgical cuffs decorated with pearls and gems, polystaurion (phelonion) and omophorion on his shoulders. His left hand is covered with bright red liturgical cloth with the Gospel book put on it. To the right and to the left of his halo are depicted half-figures of blessing Christ with the Gospel book and the Mother of God with the omophorion. 

Border scenes: 

1. The birth of saint Nicholas 

2. The introduction into learning 

3. Being ordanained deacon 

4. Being ordanained bishop 

5. Saving the sailors from drowning 

6. Driving the demon out of the tree 

7. Appearing before Tsar Constantine in his sleep 

8. Appearing before three imprisoned men 

9. Saving three men from execution 

10. Saving Demetrios from drowning 

11. The scene is fully damaged 

12. The scene is considerably damaged. 

13. Death of St. Nicholas 

14. The transfer of St. Nicholas’s relics from Myra of Lycia to Bari

  • General view