Great Martyr George the Victorious
Troparion, tone 4:
As a liberator of captives/ and a defender of the poor,/ a physician of the infirm,/ a champion of the Orthodox,/ the victorious Great Martyr George,// pray to Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 4:
Crafted from God, you appeared to be a most honest worker of piety,/ having gathered the handles of virtues for yourself,/ having sowed in tears, reaped with joy,/ having suffered through blood, you accepted Christ,// and prayed by yours, holy ones, by yours you grant forgiveness of sins to all.
Troparion, tone 4:
Today the ends of the world bless you,/ Divine miracles have been fulfilled,/ and the earth rejoices, having drunk your blood./ The people of the city of Kiev celebrate the name of Christ/ with the consecration of your Divine temple rejoiced with joy,/ passion-bearer George,/ chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, saint of Christ./ Pray to him / with faith and prayer come to your holy temple / grant cleansing of sins, / / pacify the world and save our souls.
Kontakion, voice 2:
The divine and crowned great martyr of Christ George, / in the face of victory over his enemies, / having gathered by faith in the consecrated temple, let us praise, / whom God was pleased to create in him I am his // One to rest in the saints.
Greatness
The greatness of you, the passion-bearing holy great martyr and victorious George, and we honor your honest suffering, which you endured for Christ.
Prayer to the Great Martyr George the Victorious:
Holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr George! Gathering in your temple and in front of your holy icon, worshiping people, we pray to you, known to the desires of our intercessor, pray with us and for us, beseeching God from your compassion, may you be merciful He hears us asking for His goodness, and will not forsake all that we have for salvation and life. necessary petition, and will grant our country victory over the enemy; and again, falling, we pray to you, victorious saint: strengthen the Orthodox army in battle with the grace given to you, destroy the forces of the rising enemies, so that they will be ashamed and put to shame, and their insolence may be destroyed. collapses, and let it be known that we have Divine help, and to everyone in sorrow and current circumstances, show your powerful intercession. Pray to the Lord God, Creator of all creation, to deliver us from eternal torment, so that we glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we confess your intercession now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer:
Oh, all-validated, holy great martyr and wonderworker George! Look upon us with your quick help, and beg God, the Lover of mankind, not to judge us, sinners, according to our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His great mercy. Do not despise our prayer, but ask us from Christ our God a quiet and God-pleasing life, mental and physical health, the fertility of the earth, and abundance in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us by you into evil. I am from the Almighty God, but for the glory of the Holy One in His name and in glorification of your strong intercession, may He grant our country and all the God-loving army victory over adversaries and strengthen us with unchangeable peace and blessing. May His holy angel protect us more than ever with a militia, so that we, upon our departure from this life, may be delivered from the wiles of the evil one and his difficult airy ordeals, and appear uncondemned You are the Throne of the Lord of Glory. Hear us, passion-bearer of Christ George, and pray for us unceasingly to the Trinitarian Lord of all God, that through His grace and love for mankind, through your help and intercession we may find mercy, from the Angels and Ars angels and all the saints at the right hand of the Just Judge, and I will glorify Him with the Father and By the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
GEORGE
G.'s special veneration is associated with the name Vel. Kyiv book Yaroslav the Wise, who was baptized with the name George (see section “Reverence in Rus'”). In imitation of Byzantium. Emperors Prince Yaroslav transferred the image of G. the warrior to his silver coins and seals. In one of the earliest Russian seals - a half-figure of a G. warrior and an inscription in Greek. language: “Lord, help your servant George, Archon.” Similar inscriptions also correspond to Byzantium. traditions of prayerful appeal to Christ, to the Mother of God and to especially revered saints. In con. XI century the earliest known in Rus' G. icon was created - double-sided from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (GMMK) (Popova O. S. Old Russian painting and Byzantium // GMMK: Materials and Research. M., 1999. Issue 12 : Art of the Middle Ages, Rus', pp. 19, 43). The saint is depicted waist-deep, with a spear in his right hand and a sword in his left hand, which he holds in front of him, “flaunting it like a precious relic”; the position of G.'s left hand is repeated in later Russian. monuments (Novgorod icons of the 13th century).
In Novgorod in 1119, Prince. Vsevolod Mstislavich founded in honor of the heavenly patron of his father the St. George Cathedral of the Yuryev Monastery, from where comes the life-size image of a warrior with a spear, which he holds in front of his chest in his right hand, and a sword in his left, at the hip, with a round shield behind left shoulder; G.'s head is decorated with a precious crown. This icon of large size (230´ 142 cm) was a temple, tabletop or wall image (now in the Tretyakov Gallery); the original painting (30-40s of the 12th century) has been preserved in small fragments, and has been updated at different times (XIV, XVI, XVII, XIX centuries).
Dr. rus. led Prince, Yuri (George) Dolgoruky, founder of the dynasty of Vladimir-Suzdal princes, laid the stone foundation in 1152. in the name of the Great Martyr. George in Vladimir. The image of G. is placed on the seal of the book. Yuri Dolgoruky (G. is presented in full view, taking a sword from its sheath). A relief image of a horseman with a triumphant gesture - his left hand raised high - has been preserved in the central part of the western part. facade of the Dimitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir (90s of the 12th century). With led. book George Vsevolodovich of Vladimir built the St. George Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky (1230-1234), distinguished by its richly carved decor. On the reliefs of its facades, G. is represented 4 times: in the composition of the half-length Deesis - in the medallion, in the lower tier of the west. porch; twice to the north facade facing the city, above the north. portal - in classical Byzantine. type: full-length, in long military robes, with a spear in a raised right hand, with the left hand leaning on a shield with a relief image of the princely emblem - a leopard-shaped lion, and on the central part of the columnar frieze (northern facade) - like a warrior, frontally, in full height; at the top of the thirds of the south facade in the composition “Oranta with the upcoming warriors” (reconstruction by G. K. Wagner) - full-length, in prayer, with a spear and shield standing vertically behind the figure. In the last 2 compositions, as well as on the Suzdal Golden Gate (late 12th century) in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, G. is depicted together with Saints Demetrius, Theodore Tiron and Theodore Stratilates.
Vmch. Georgy. Icon. Con. XI century (GMMK) Vmch. Georgy. Icon. Con. XI century (GMMK) Byzantine style was adopted in the painting of churches in Rus'. tradition of placing St. warriors In c. The Transfiguration of the Savior in Nereditsa (1119) G. is depicted in the 3rd register to the south. wall of the naos, in Kirillovskaya church. in Kyiv (60s of the 12th century) - one of the early versions of the image of G. on a pillar - full-length, with a spear and shield. From the beginning XVI century the image of warriors on the domed pillars is more common: the figure of G. the warrior is represented in the painting of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy. Virgin Mary in Ferapontovo (1502, Dionysius and sons); in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (mid-16th century); in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (1565); in the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow (1598); in c. Holy Trinity in Vyazemy (ca. 1600); in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (1642-1643), etc.
In the Novgorod land, a special iconographic type of G. was widespread - a warrior-martyr: in military garb, with a sword in his left hand and with a cross in his right hand. This is how the saint is represented on 3 Novgorod icons of the 13th century: “Saints John Climacus, George and Blasius” (GRM); in the margins of the icon “The Savior on the Throne with the Chosen Saints” (2nd half of the 13th - early 14th centuries, Tretyakov Gallery); on the margins of the icon “St. Nicholas with selected saints" from c. St. Nicholas on Lipna near Novgorod (1294, NGOMZ). Byzantine. artists did not combine these 2 types of images (the only exception is the Byzantine icon of the 12th century in the monastery of the Great Martyr Church of Catherine in Sinai). This type, which has not been repeated for several years. centuries, reappeared in late painting. XVII - beginning XVIII century This is the image of G. on the icon of the con. XVII century from the local row of the iconostasis from c. St. John the Theologian on the Ishna near Rostov (RIAMZ), where G. is presented frontally, full-length, in richly decorated military vestments, in a red cloak thrown over his left shoulder, with a cross in his right hand and a sword in his left. However, here, unlike the Novgorod icons, it is not the military, but the martyrdom side of the feat that is emphasized, which is expressed in the choice of posture and gestures of the saint (the tip of the sword is directed downward, G. holds it, putting it to the side).
In Moscow monuments, the iconographic type of G.-martyr (in a tunic and himation, with a cross in his hand), which entered from the end, developed. XIV century with the development of Russian high iconostasis in the composition of the expanded Deesis (paired with Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, G. is usually depicted on the left). According to V.N. Lazarev, both martyrs, the images of which have become almost mandatory in the composition of Moscow iconostases, act here as “intercessors before Christ not only for the entire human race, but also for the Moscow princes and for their capital city of Moscow.” (Lazarev V.N. Andrei Rublev and his school. M., 1966. P. 117). The earliest example is the iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (not earlier than the 80-90s of the 14th century, Venerable Andrei Rublev?). The image of G. was included in the iconostases of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir (20s of the 15th century, circle of St. Andrei Rublev, Tretyakov Gallery; according to the assumption of I. E. Grabar, the images of G. and Demetrius were recorded in the 17th century as images of archangels ), Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (1425-1427, spgiahmz) and the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillov Belozersky Monastery (1497, State Russian Museum), Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy. Our Lady of Ferapontov Monastery (beginning of the 16th century, workshop of Dionysius, State Russian Museum). In con. XX - beginning XXI century Based on the samples of icons preserved in early iconostases, icons for modern times were created. iconostasis (for example, in the lower Church of the Transfiguration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Trinity Sloboda, etc.).
Vmch. Georgy. Icon from the Deesis tier of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl. 1st half-mid. XVI century (YIAMZ)
Vmch. Georgy. Icon from the Deesis tier of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl. 1st half-mid. XVI century (YIAMZ) Type of G.-warrior on a horse (without a kite) in Russian. rarely found in monuments (for example, on a Novgorod icon from the Nikolskaya church in the village of Lyuboni, Borovichi district, Novgorod region, late XIV-XV centuries, State Russian Museum). The image of G. the snake fighter was known in Kievan Rus already in the 2nd half. XI - beginning XII century A slate slab from the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv dates back to this time with the image of 2 holy warrior-horses galloping towards each other: G. (on the left) and the Great Martyr. Theodore Stratilates (c. 1062, National Reserve "Sofia of Kiev") (Sidorenko G.V. "Mikhailovsky" relief slabs of the 11th century: On the possible altar barrier of the St. Demetrius Cathedral in Kiev // Iconostasis: Origin. Development. Symbolism. M., 2000. pp. 243-266).
“The Miracle of the Serpent” in Novgorod and the surrounding lands became widespread in a brief version, with an image of the blessing right hand in the heavenly segment (icon from the collection of A.V. Morozov, mid-14th century, Tretyakov Gallery; icon from the collection of I.S. Ostroukhova, early 15th century, Tretyakov Gallery; icon from the church in the village of Manikhin, Leningrad region, 2nd half of the 15th century, State Russian Museum, etc.). This story, briefly summarized, has gained popularity in wooden and small plastic objects. The earliest example is the image in one of the 18 medallions of the Ludogoshchinsky cross (1359, NGOMZ), a brief summary is presented on a carved polychrome icon, where in the upper part of the ark there are selected saints and the angel crowning G. (XVI century, Russian Museum), aka displayed in the middle of a carved polychrome icon with the Deesis and selected saints (early 16th century, GMMC). Many stone icons have been preserved (1st half of the 14th century, Tretyakov Gallery, on the front side - Our Lady of Tenderness; 14th century, SIHM, on the front side - St. Nicholas; 16th century, State Historical Museum, on the front side - St. . Nikolay), cast (late 15th - early 16th centuries, Central Military Museum; bone (late 15th - early 16th centuries, GMMK).
Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent. Wooden sculpture. 2nd half XVI century (VGIAHMZ)
Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent. Wooden sculpture. 2nd half XVI century (VGIAHMZ) A brief summary of “The Miracle of the Serpent” was often reproduced in monuments of the Russian North (icons of the last third of the 15th century, private collection of V. A. Bondarenko; late 15th - early 16th centuries, State Hermitage; 16th century, AMII, and many others). As a particularly revered image, the “Miracle of the Serpent” in a brief version was included in the hallmarks of various icons (for example, “The Entry into the Temple, with the Deesis and Selected Saints” (the leftmost hallmark of the bottom row), end XV - 1st half. 16th century from the Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Nenoksa, Arkhangelsk region, AMI; “Transfiguration, with holidays in 24 stamps” (stamp 24), 1st half of the 16th century, from the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal, State Russian Museum ) and etc.
The composition “The Miracle of the Serpent” became as popular as in Novgorod, in Moscow. Vel. book John III in 1464 decorated the main Frolovsky (Spassky) gate of the Moscow Kremlin with a gate icon - a white stone sculptural image of the Dragon-wrestler (at present, fragments are stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Metallurgical Museum). Numerous renovations (renovations) distorted the iconography of the monument: the spear struck the serpent not in the mouth, but in the neck; G.'s right leg was bent at the knee (the original appearance was preserved on the hanging seal of John III 1497). Information from the Ermolinsk Chronicle back in the 19th century. became the subject of discussion about the author of this monument. N. N. Sobolev’s opinion about V. D. Ermolin as a “Russian architect of the 15th century.” and the creator of the sculpture was considered the only true one until the 90s. XX century As a result of the scientific restoration of the monument, the assumption was substantiated that the relief was created according to a “Byzantine relief model by an Italian sculptor from white stone blocks prepared by Russian stone cutters,” and Ermolin was the trustee of the work (see: O. Yakhont. About the masters of ancient sculpture “St. George the Serpent Fighter "(1464) from the main tower of the Moscow Kremlin // Kremlins of Russia: Abstracts of the All-Russian Symposium. Moscow, November 23-26, 1999: [Electric resource]). The compositional analogues of this monument are Byzantine. mosaic icon con. XIII - beginning XIV century (Louvre, Paris), relief images of G. the snake fighter in Venice, Ferrara, Verona and other cities of Italy. This is an image perceived in the 15th-16th centuries. as a symbol of the Moscow state, it became the last. coat of arms of Moscow and influenced a number of monuments. Among them is a multi-color ceramic relief (tile), ordered by the specific prince. Yuri Ivanovich for the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov, decorating the south. the wall facing the St. George Gate of the Kremlin, as well as Russian monuments. polychrome wooden sculpture created in Yuryev-Polsky, Novgorod, Vologda, in the Russian North in the 15th-17th centuries. (XV century, YUPIAKHM; XV century, State Russian Museum; XVII century, AMI).
From the end XV - beginning XVI century The iconography of the “Miracle of the Serpent” became more complex, enriched with new details. A figurine of a soaring angel appeared, laying a crown on the head of G., sometimes the angel is represented twice: receiving the crown from the hands of Christ and carrying it to G. (icon of the late 15th - early 16th centuries, Tretyakov Gallery). There is an attribute rare for Georgian iconography - a helmet, which falls from the head of a saint (icon of the late 15th - early 16th centuries, KMRI) and is replaced by a heavenly martyr's crown (embroidered shroud from the Konevets Monastery on Lake Ladoga, early 16th century, State Russian Museum). To the beginning XVII century the image of the miracle is overgrown with details: instead of a tower from which the king looks at the princess’s deliverance, a city appears with residents also watching the miracle (icon of Stroganov’s letters by master Nikifor Savin, 1st half of the 17th century); the icon from Nizhny Novgorod (late 16th - early 17th centuries, “The Miracle of the Great Martyr George on the Serpent with 9 Feasts”, private collection, Moscow) depicts an equestrian army riding out of the city gates towards G.; on the lower field, G. is presented in 3 stamps, continuing the plot of the middle: G., a foot warrior, strikes a snake in the lake with a spear, G.’s dream, conversation with the princess. The iconography of this period is characterized by differences in details: in military attributes (weapons (spear or sword), Crimea G. is struck by a snake), in the dynamics of movement and color of the horse (in addition to the traditional white, there are black variants - for example, on the Novgorod icon , 2nd half of the 14th century, Tretyakov Gallery; on an icon from North-Eastern Rus' from the collection of M. V. Rozanova, 14th century, British Museum, London; on a Tver icon, 2nd half of the 16th century. , Tretyakov Gallery; bay - on the Novgorod icon, 2nd half of the 16th century, Central Exhibition Hall MDA).
Vmch. George the Victorious. Icon from the collection. I. S. Ostroukhova. Novgorod. Beginning XV century (TG)
Vmch. George the Victorious. Icon from the collection. I. S. Ostroukhova. Novgorod. Beginning XV century (Tretyakov Gallery) The image of the “Double Miracle” is rare (for example, on the Kostroma icon “Martyr George with 16 hallmarks of his life” (early 18th century, YaIAMZ, hallmark 16)). Moreover, the “Miracle with the Youth” has a special, different version from the other: G. on foot hands over the saved youth to his father-priest (for example, in the hallmarks of 2 hagiographic icons of the 16th century “The Miracle of the Great Martyr George on the Dragon” from the collection of the Old Believer Cathedral on Rogozhskoe cemetery in Moscow (stamp 15) and from the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Ustyuzhna (stamp 14), in 1994 stolen from the exhibition of the UKM). This hagiographic story is based on two different miracles: the miracle of G. on the island of Lesbos - the return of the youth to his parents' home and the return of the youth to his father-priest of St. George's Church. (for example, on the Vologda icon, mid-18th century (VGIAHMZ) - both miracles of the return of the youths are presented in hallmarks 9 and 10).
A number of other stories are connected with the theme of G.’s miraculous help. G. several once protects St. Theodore Sikeot (commemorated on April 22, the day before the memorial of G.) from demons who appeared in the guise of wolves and other terrible animals, for example. in the hallmarks of the icon “Saints Theodore Sykeot and George with the life of Theodore Sykeot in 22 hallmarks” from the St. Nicholas Monastery of Edinoverie in Moscow (late 16th - early 17th centuries, Tretyakov Gallery) St. Theodore and G. are depicted in the middle, full-length, in prayer. G. repeatedly acts as an assistant in military affairs, for example. on the icon “The Miracle of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”” (“Battle of the Novgorodians with the Suzdalians”), where G. leaves the city gates together with Saints Demetrius, Boris and Gleb at the head of the army of the Novgorodians (XV century, Tretyakov Gallery; mid-2 -1st half of the 15th century, NGOMZ); on the icon, which presents a vision of world history in the image of the militant Church, “Blessed is the army of the heavenly king” (after 1552, Tretyakov Gallery) G. is depicted in the vanguard of the lower row of troops.
The earliest life cycle of Georgy is partially preserved in the painting of the St. George (northern) chapel of the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv (40s of the 11th century). The following life scenes are presented: confession of faith before the emperor. Diocletian; Queen Alexandra and G.; G. before the proconsul Magnentius; military leaders Anatoly and Protoleon in front of G.; torment in a ditch with lime; torture on the cross with scrapers (another poorly preserved scene). In the painting c. Vmch. George in St. Ladoga (60s of the 12th century), in the deacon, above the large composition “The Miracle of the Serpent,” there were 2 scenes (minor fragments preserved), possibly with images of the interrogation of the emperor. Diocletian and martyrdom or beheading. In Russian icon painting, the earliest life cycle is known on the Novgorod icon with the image in the middle of “The Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent" (1st half of the 14th century, from the collection of M. P. Pogodin, Russian Museum). 14 hallmarks of the icon depict scenes of G.'s torment (with the exception of the miracle of the crushing of idols in hallmark 6). A special group consists of hagiographic icons from the 16th century. Moscow iconography, a distinctive feature of which is the absence of lifetime miracles (4 icons “Martyr George with 16 marks of life”: c. 1500, Central Museum of Art and Culture; from the Pyatnitsky monastery in the city of Dmitrov, 1st third of the 16th century, TsMiAR; from the village of Barintsevo, Lyubimsky district, Yaroslavl region, early 16th century, TsMiAR; from the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov, 1st third of the 16th century, TsMiAR). Its basis is Byzantine. hagiographic icons of the 13th-15th centuries, including the mentioned icons from the VMC monastery. Catherine in Sinai.
A number of subjects of Moscow icons (torture with red-hot iron boots, in a red-hot copper bull, a board, poison and iron scrapers; the appearance of G. after death to the emperor and courtiers and their punishment by fire, 2 scenes from the “Miracle of the Saracen”) have no analogues in Byzantium. , Yuzhslav. and cargo. hagiographic cycles of G. Since the 16th century. the number of stigmas, narrative details and characters increases, which reflects the general trend of this time; At the beginning of the life cycle, scenes of the Nativity and Baptism of G. are introduced (for example, “The Miracle of the Great Martyr George about the Serpent with 18 Signs of Life,” 2nd half of the 16th century, AMI), later - teaching literacy (for example, in the 2nd m stamp of the Kostroma icon "Martyr George with 16 stamps of life", early 18th century, YaIAMZ). The mentioned icon has the 2nd floor. XVI century (AMI) the scenes telling about Father G. are unique (the baptism of the father (stamp 4) and the burial of the father (stamp 5)); theme of Queen Alexandra's conversion to Christ. faith on this icon is expanded from one plot of a conversation with G. to the depiction of Alexandra’s exhortation by the king, torment with iron claws (stamp 15), strengthening in the faith and martyrdom of G. (stamp 16)). For the 18th century. There is a tendency to expand one plot to several. episodes (for example, on the mentioned icon of the early 18th century, YaIAMZ). Thus, in mark 12, in the dispute with the sorcerer Athanasius, in addition to the main miracle of the resurrection of the deceased, the following are depicted: the appearance of G. to the king, the prayer of G., the belief in Christ of the sorcerer Athanasius, the execution of the resurrected man and the sorcerer Athanasius. Several image options are known. stories within the same brand. So, on the same icon there are more than 27 scenes in 16 hallmarks, and in the hallmark of 1 Vologda icon “Vmch. George with 12 hallmarks of his life", ser. XVIII century (VGIAHMZ), scenes of distribution of property, confession of faith before the emperor are combined. Diocletian, being led into prison and tormented with a heavy stone in prison.
G. has been assigned a certain place in the Mother of God iconography: “He rejoices in You” - G., together with Demetrius, are presented in a pose of prayer as martyrs in the right group of saints in the 1st row, following the apostles Peter and Paul (late 15th century, circle of Dionysius, GMMC; from the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov, 1st third of the 16th century, circle of Dionysius, Tretyakov Gallery), sometimes G. is depicted in military garb, without weapons, with a cross (Pskov icon from the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal, end of the 15th century, Tretyakov Gallery); “Protection of the Most Holy. Mother of God" - G. and Demetrius are depicted as witnesses to the miracle as martyrs (fresco in the Church of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates in Novgorod, 1396; icon, late XIV - early XV centuries, Tretyakov Gallery) or as warriors (icon from the Zverin Monastery , 1399, NGOMZ).
In Russian monuments. art depiction of G. with St. Blaise, with Saints Florus and Laurus, with St. Nikolai, with architect. Michael reflect the layer of popular veneration of the great martyr; the largest number of these icons come from Novgorod. One of the earliest examples of images of G. and St. Blasius is a Novgorod icon of the 2nd half. XIII century “Saints John Climacus, George and Blasius” (GRM), associated with the widespread local veneration of St. Blasius as the patron of livestock, and G. as the patron of agriculture and cattle breeding. The Novgorod double-sided bone icon with half-length images of G. (martyr with a cross) and St. dates back to the same time. Vlasiya (last third of the 13th century; from excavations in 1969 at the Nerevsky end of Novgorod). The stability of this tradition, which was developed both in Novgorod and in the Russian North, is evidenced by monuments of the 16th century, including a wooden carved Deesis rite of the 16th century. from the collection of S. T. Bolshakov (GMMK), where St. is depicted together with G. Blasius, who does not correspond to him in the rank of holiness, and not the martyr. Dimitri, as usual. On the icon “Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent" (2nd half of the 16th century, PIAM) half-length figures of St. Vlasia, Flora and Lavra are included in the middle composition; similar icon of the 16th century. comes from c. Pokrova village Syntul, Kasimovsky district, Ryazan region. (Tretyakov Gallery), but among 3 saints instead of St. Blasius is depicted as St. Zosima of Palestine.
Popular veneration of G. as the patron saint of agriculture united him with one of the most revered saints in Rus' - St. Nikolai, which is reflected in plural. lit. and fine art monuments. This rapprochement was influenced by the calendar proximity of the spring “Yegory’s Day” and “spring St. Nicholas” (April 23 - the martyrdom of G., May 9 - the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas), which was reflected even in Russian. folklore (“Yegory with warmth, Nikola with food”, “Yegory with water, Nikola with grass”, etc.). Paired images of G. and St. Nicholas were common in Novgorod and Moscow small stone sculptures - on double-sided icons. On earlier monuments there was a half-figure of a warrior G. with a spear and a shield in his hands (late 13th - early 14th centuries, Novgorod, from the collection of I. S. Ostroukhov, Tretyakov Gallery), which was later replaced by the image of a G. slaying a snake (XIV century, Moscow, from the collection of TSL, SPGIAHMZ; early 16th century, Novgorod, State Historical Museum). The icon of the horse comes from the Guslitsky Monastery. XIV - beginning XV century, representing the saints in full size (St. Nicholas in episcopal vestments with the Gospel in his hand, G. the warrior with a spear in his right hand in front of his chest, with his left leaning on a sword). Among the selected saints, the images of G. and the Great Martyr are distinguished by their stability. Demetrius, St. Nicholas (for example, “St. Nicholas of Myra, with the Deesis and selected saints” (1st quarter of the 16th century, Central Committee of the MDA) - on the field, in the middle row, paired with the Great Martyr Demetrius; “Nicholas, with the Deesis and chosen saints" (XVI century, AMI) - on the field, to the right of the center, paired with the Great Martyr Demetrius).
In Russian In folklore works there is often a comparison of G. with arch. Michael - the winner of the apocalyptic serpent, whose example is followed by G. the serpent fighter. In small plastic works, double-sided icons with images of G. and arch. Mikhail, for example. stone Novgorod icon of the 13th century. (GIM). Perhaps the arch. The author of the 1st half icon tried to liken the image of G. to Michael. XVI century, originating from the Epiphany Church. Pogosta village Lyadiny, Kargopol district, Arkhangelsk region. (GE), where G. is presented in military attire, with a spear-ensign in his left hand, a shield and a sword in his right hand, full-length, standing on a red base - details characteristic of the iconography of the arch. Michael (as, for example, on the icon from the Mikhalkov estate in the village of Petrovsky near Rybinsk, mid-16th century (Rybinsk State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve)). Another detail of G.’s vestment indirectly connects him with the image of the “governor of the heavenly powers” - a medallion on G.’s armor with the image of Christ Emmanuel, placed on a sphere (mirror) in the hands of archangels, for example. on the icon gray XVI century from the collection of A. V. Morozov (Tretyakov Gallery), in the painting on the pillar of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (1565). At the same time, the image of Christ Emmanuel on the breast armor of the soldiers is Byzantine. tradition, reflecting military practice, and is found in the painting of Palaeologian times (for example, images of the Great Martyr Demetrius in the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius Markov Monastery, c. 1376; the Great Martyr Procopius in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Resava Monastery (Manasseh ), before 1418). In the Bolshakovsky icon-painting original (XVIII century) the following description of G. is given: “...curly-haired, young in armor, carrying cinnabar, checkered gold armor, azure underneath, a mirror glowing roundly at his heart, a copy in his right hand, and a sheathed sword in his left , walked behind the right shoulder, and on it there is a cross, shields are seen from the left hip, a little from the right is a tulle with a bow and a sidek with arrows, a gaff, boots in gold, on a fur, clubs on the hips on a golden fur, George has a scroll in his hand... “Sometimes a “round mirror” was placed on the breast armor without an image of Christ Emmanuel on it (for example, the icon “The Miracle of St. George on the Serpent” from the St. George Church of the Terebuzhsky churchyard, St. Petersburg province, 2nd half of the 16th century. , State Russian Museum; icon “The Miracle of the Great Martyr George about the Serpent, with the Life” from the St. George Church on the Square in Kostroma, late 16th - early 17th centuries, Tretyakov Gallery).
The iconography of the New Age repeats already established patterns. One of the favorite subjects, in particular from Old Believer castings of the 18th-19th centuries, is the “Miracle of the Serpent.” There are known monuments of short (for example, a copper icon with a relief inscription on the frame, 19th century, TsMiAR) and widespread (for example, a copper icon with enamel inserts, Moscow, 2nd half of the 19th century, TsMiAR) editions. In the 19th century In the Old Believer environment, copper foldings with images of both the “Miracle of the Serpent” in the center were widespread (for example, the three-leaf folding “Miracle of St. George the Serpent. Selected Saints”, 19th century, TsMiAR), and a foot warrior. in prayer, presented among selected saints in a deesis composition (as a rule, on the left wing is the leftmost figure standing behind the figures of the holy martyrs Blasius and Antipas, for example, a tricuspid fold, Moscow, 19th century, TsMiAR). G. remains one of the most revered saints; his image is often included among the selected saints: the 2-part icon “Transfiguration. Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent. Saints Flor, John, Laurus, Demetrius" (late 17th-18th centuries, GE), "Feasts and Selected Saints" (late 17th-18th centuries, GE), "Selected Saints" (XVII century, GE) , copper cast icon of the 19th century. (CMiAR).
On the icon “Image-story, to which saints what graces and healings were given by God” (1st half of the 19th century, Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the Ulyanovsk region), the image of G. is placed in stamp 23 with the caption: “from the consumption of livestock beast St. George under.” In con. XX - beginning XXI century Many works appeared, based on the ancient Byzantines. and Russian samples, e.g. hagiographic icon “Miracle of the Great Martyr. George about the serpent" (1997, written in the Moscow Icon Painting), its hagiographic cycle repeats the Moscow iconography of the image from the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov (1st third of the 16th century, Central Museum of Art and Culture), the icon "Miracle of the Great Martyr. George on the Serpent" in the frame (2002) with half-length images of Saints Blaise, Florus and Laurus in the middle composition copies the 2nd floor icon. XVI century (PIAM). A brief summary of “The Miracle of the Great Martyr.” George on the Serpent” is presented on an icon-panel made using the enamel technique (author S. D. Matsenko, 2002), and many others. etc.
T. A. Zharikova
