Nicholas the Wondeworker, St., with scenes from his life

Iconography:  Hagiographic cycle Nicholas, Nicholas (lap)

Date: XVII century. Second half of the 17th century

Origin: From the Nikolsky antetemple of the church commemorating Saint Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian of Troitskaya-Blagoveshchenskaya Sinozerskaya hermitage in the Ustyuzhensky district, Novgorodskaya region (now – Chagodishchensky district, Vologodskaya region). The hermitage was founded in 1600 by Venerable Euphrosynus of Sinozersk.

Material: Wood, tempera

Dimensions:  height 109 cm, width 88 cm

Nicholas is depicted frontally, waist-length, his right hand is blessing and on his left hand covered with the phelonion and the omophorion is the closed Gospel book. At the sides of his halo in the quadrants are figures of Christ with the Gospel book and the Mother of God with the omophorion, enthroned.

Was deposited in 1936.

Restoration: the All-Russian Art Scientific and Restoration Center named after I.E. Grabar, 2001-2003, restorer – Tsirul G.V.

Border scenes:

1. Nativity of St. Nicholas

2. Baptism of child Nicholas

3. St. Nicholas heals the crippled woman

4. St. Nicholas learns letters

5. St. Nicholas is consecrated as a bishop

6. Appearance of St. Nicholas before tsar Constantine in his sleep

7. Appearance before the three men in the dungeon

8. Rescuing the three men from the execution

9. Rescuing Demetrius from drowning

10. Rescuing Basil, son of Agrikos, from the Saracens

11. Death of St. Nicholas

12. Transfer of St. Nicholas’s relics from Myra of Lycia to Bari

Inv. №1056/1. © Cherepovets Museum Association.

Bibliography: Куликова О.В. Древние лики Русского Севера. Из музейного собрания икон XIV-XIX веков города Череповца. М., 2009. Кат. № 72 (Илл. 74). 

  • General view
  • Mullion
  • St. Nicholas learns letters
  • Appearance before the three men in the dungeon. Fragment