Elijah the Prophet is one of the Old Testament Prophets. He lived and preached 9 centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. In those times Israel was ruled by King Ahab and the Phoenician pagan Queen Jezebel. At the court, she established a whole pool of priests who performed sacrifices to pagan gods. Elijah hampered one of those rituals and killed the priests; then he fled, being afraid of punishment. After 40 days of wandering through the desert he reached Mount Horeb and settled in one of the caves. There, an angel arrived to him and revealed him his mission: Elijah was supposed to return to Jerusalem, adopt a disciple and resume his preaching. Risking his life, the Prophet came back to Ahab’s land and together with his disciple Elisha was telling the pagans about the one god. According to the legend, in his declining years Elijah ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot drawn by winged horses.

Per old tradition, the major subjects from the life of Elijah the Prophet were depicted in the icon: Elijah hiding in the cave (this is the central image), appearing of the angel, Elijah and his disciple separating the waters of the Jordan, Elijah giving his disciple his cape and gifts and then ascending to heaven in a fiery chariot. In the left-hand side of the icon a new subject appeared: Elijah lighting the fire of sacrifice.