According to the specialists, the icon Michael the Archangel, the War Chief of the Thundering Forces was painted at the turn of the 19th century. The unknown artist depicted the Chief Archangel, Michael, also called Archistrategos — the captain of the hosts of the Lord in their fight against the Evil. The Saint is wearing a wreath on the head and is holding a pipe near the mouth. According to the legend, he will blow it before the Last Judgment.
In his flight on the winged horse Michael dressed in an armor suit strikes Satan with his spear. Such a martial image reminds that the Archangel protects Christians from malign forces, and their lands from the raids of invaders. He guides people to salvation, so the artist depicted him with the highly erected Cross and the New Testament. In the upper part of the icon the artist depicted Christ in his adolescence — such an image is called Emmanuel the Savior. It emphasizes the unity of heavenly and human nature in Christ.

Some researchers believe that the iconography of the Archangel the War Chief emerged during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, in the mid of the 16th century. One of the versions says this iconography is based on the text of The Revelation of St. John the Evangelist. The Canon to Michael the War Chief of the Thunder Forces is believed to be another source. The assumption is that the latter was written by the tsar Ivan the Terrible under the pseudonym of the God’s Fool Parpheniy.

There were ruptures in the center and along the perimeter of the icon, and entire fragments were missing here and there, and the dies went off. The icon did not have any lacquer or any other protective coating, and the entire surface was covered with dust and soot.
The specialists restored the lost fragments of the icon, fortified the old damaged canvas with a new layer and fastened it to the new stretcher. They covered the surface with a special solution to prevent the dies from shedding and then covered with a special lacquer.