The pall was intended to be laid on the shrine with the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. It is kept in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery.

The piece was made in the Kremlin workshop by order of the last (seventh) wife of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna Nagaya. This is evidenced by the two-line inscription, embroidered with pearls in the lower part of the centerpiece:

Maria Nagaya became the Tsar’s wife in 1580, and on October 19, 1582, her son Dmitriy was born, whose mysterious death in Uglich at the age of eight provoked a long-term political crisis in the country.

On the cover, a full-length image of St. Sergius of Radonezh in monastic attire is embroidered with silk and metal threads. The saint’s right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, while his left, bent at the waist, holds a wrapped scroll, a symbol of knowledge and guidance.

The saint’s halo is embroidered with golden threads. Stylized flowers and leaves are placed on top of the golden flooring. They are also made with spun gold and bordered with pearls. The midpoints of the flowers are highlighted by a green emerald, two blue sapphires and two red stones: ruby and spinel.

Hymns to St. Sergius of Radonezh are embroided with pearls on the braids framing the veil around the perimeter: “You are an ascetic of virtue…” and “You were touched by Christ’s love….”

The pall is made of Italian damask fabric of a rich blue (azure) color. Kamka, or damask was a fabric, usually silk, sometimes two-faced, with a pattern formed by a shiny satin weave of threads on a matte background. This damask is decorated with a large pattern of Renaissance motifs: lobed vases, pineapples, crowns.