Mother of God

Iconography:  Holy Virgin from the Deesis row

Date: XV century. Late 15th – beginning of the 16th century

Origin: From the church of Intercession of Our Lady in the village Pokrovskoye in Dolgiye Slobody, Cherepovetsky district (now – Sheksninsky district). The temple was made of wood and built on the funds of the church people in 1671 on the sight of the older church. In 1865 it was pulled down because it had fallen into decay and the icons were transferred into the church of St. Alexander Nevski located nearby. In 1897 the church of Intercession was built of stone. The ancient icons were left in the old temple and it was not until 1930 that they were transferred into the Museum of Cherepovets.

Material: Wood, tempera

Dimensions:  height 86,6 cm, width 35,5 cm

The icon from the Deesis row of Iconostasis. The depiction of the Mother of God full-length in a three-quarter turn. Is a part of the “Intercession tier” the style and colors of which may be traced back to the northern branch of the Rostov iconographic tradition. The icons are painted graphically, its colors and silhouettes are quite exquisite.

Restoration: ВХНРЦ, 1989, restorer – L.K.Yartseva.

Inv. № 508/11. © Cherepovets Museum Association.

Bibliography: Куликова О.В. Древние лики Русского Севера. Из музейного собрания икон XIV-XIX веков города Череповца. М., 2009. Кат. № 8. 

  • General view
  • Waist-length depiction
  • The face of the Mother of God