Mozhaisk St. Nicholas

The image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a sword and the silhouette of the Mozhaisk church has been known since the 14th century. Tradition links its origin to Mozhaisk, located about 100 kilometres west of Moscow. During the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, Mozhaisk was spared from capture and destruction by the forces of Batu Khan. The legend of the city's salvation is attributed to the intercession of Saint Nicholas, who appeared in full form as a fierce defender, holding a raised sword in his right hand and the fortified town enclosed by a wall in his left hand. At the sight of him, the enemies fled. To commemorate the event, the residents crafted a carved likeness of the Saint. Another version of the story suggests that an existing statue of Saint Nicholas, raised on the town walls, saved the town from an enemy invasion. The carved image was first referred to as "Mozhaisk St. Nicholas" in city documents from the 16th century, to distinguish it from other representations of the Saint (the original is now housed in the Hermitage's collection of church art). In icon painting, the depiction of Mozhaisk St. Nicholas became widespread from the 16th–17th centuries. In the presented icon, his figure is modelled after the sculptural original. Brass-cast and often

Enamelled icons were commonly used by the Old Believers, who rejected the liturgical reforms of Patriarch Nikon carried out in the Moscow Orthodox Church between 1654 and 1657. Over time, these convenient brass castings also became popular among followers of the official Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967