The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with Scenes of Feasts was painted by an unknown artist at the end of the 16th century — the first quarter of the 17th century. It is dedicated to another icon — the old miracle working image of Our Lady of Kazan.
Legend has it that the icon of Our Lady of Kazan miraculously appeared after a fire in Kazan in the 16th century. It became one of the most revered icons in Russia and was kept in the iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral at the Kazan Monastery of the Mother of God for over three centuries. In 1904, a tragedy occurred — the precious icon was stolen. Nowadays, it is known only by the numerous artistic copies.
Along with such copies, painters also created colorful framed icons: they would place the image of Our Lady of Kazan in the center and surround it with individual border scenes depicting episodes from the life of Mary and the wonders related to the miraculous icon.
The framed icon from the museum’s collection is one of the earliest works of this kind. It was based on the very first framed icon of Our Lady of Kazan, which had been lost. In the border scenes, the painter depicted twelve feasts, including the Meeting of Joachim and Anne, the Nativity of Mary, the Presentation of Mary, the Annunciation, the Nativity of Jesus, the Candlemas, and the Assumption. At the bottom are the scenes based on hymns in honor of the Mother of God: “All of Creation Rejoices in Thee”, “Akathist to the Mother of God”, and “Intercession of the Mother of God”. Another scene based on a hymn — “Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God” — is shown on the right side.
The most interesting scene is the last one titled “The Appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kazan”. It is dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the icon. Legend has it that after a large fire in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, asking the child to find the miracle working icon in the area destroyed by the fire. An image of the Mother of God was indeed found at the revealed location. The master depicted this scene in the bottom right corner of the framed icon. The old icon is shown in a cave under the hill of the Kazan Kremlin, with the image of the Mother of God placed against a silver background.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with Scenes of Feasts was placed in the local tier of the iconostasis of the Trinity Church at the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius (later known as the Monastery of John the Baptist) in Sviyazhsk. The local tier is the bottom tier of the iconostasis. This tier contains the icon of the saint or the feast to which the church is dedicated, as well as the images of the saints particularly revered in the region. The icon entered the museum’s collection in 1989. Unfortunately, the central part of the icon depicting the Mother of God has been lost.
Legend has it that the icon of Our Lady of Kazan miraculously appeared after a fire in Kazan in the 16th century. It became one of the most revered icons in Russia and was kept in the iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral at the Kazan Monastery of the Mother of God for over three centuries. In 1904, a tragedy occurred — the precious icon was stolen. Nowadays, it is known only by the numerous artistic copies.
Along with such copies, painters also created colorful framed icons: they would place the image of Our Lady of Kazan in the center and surround it with individual border scenes depicting episodes from the life of Mary and the wonders related to the miraculous icon.
The framed icon from the museum’s collection is one of the earliest works of this kind. It was based on the very first framed icon of Our Lady of Kazan, which had been lost. In the border scenes, the painter depicted twelve feasts, including the Meeting of Joachim and Anne, the Nativity of Mary, the Presentation of Mary, the Annunciation, the Nativity of Jesus, the Candlemas, and the Assumption. At the bottom are the scenes based on hymns in honor of the Mother of God: “All of Creation Rejoices in Thee”, “Akathist to the Mother of God”, and “Intercession of the Mother of God”. Another scene based on a hymn — “Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God” — is shown on the right side.
The most interesting scene is the last one titled “The Appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kazan”. It is dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the icon. Legend has it that after a large fire in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, asking the child to find the miracle working icon in the area destroyed by the fire. An image of the Mother of God was indeed found at the revealed location. The master depicted this scene in the bottom right corner of the framed icon. The old icon is shown in a cave under the hill of the Kazan Kremlin, with the image of the Mother of God placed against a silver background.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with Scenes of Feasts was placed in the local tier of the iconostasis of the Trinity Church at the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius (later known as the Monastery of John the Baptist) in Sviyazhsk. The local tier is the bottom tier of the iconostasis. This tier contains the icon of the saint or the feast to which the church is dedicated, as well as the images of the saints particularly revered in the region. The icon entered the museum’s collection in 1989. Unfortunately, the central part of the icon depicting the Mother of God has been lost.
