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Annunciation in the Kremlin

Sergey Simakov

Creation period

1987

Dimensions

77x94 cm
77x34 cm

Technique

Canvas, oil

Collection

The Uglich Museum

Exhibition

Under the Gracious Protection

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Благовещенье в Кремле.jpg

Simakov S.V.

Annunciation in the Kremlin

In this picture Sergey Simakov depicted a scene from a legend. The legend tells the story of the miraculous appearance of the icon Annunciation to the Theotokos on the tower wall of the Moscow Kremlin during the reign of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible). According to the legend, an innocent battle master (waywode) was wrongfully accused and thrown into the tower-prison of the Kremlin Granary yard. The prisoner did not lose hope or faith and prayed for mercy and protection from the Tsar’s wrath, after the miraculous appearance of the icon he was granted pardon and released.

The picture depicts the moment before the planned execution. The waywode, his hands cuffed and folded in prayer, is standing beside the executioner in a long red body-shirt, the scene is set inside the Kremlin yard. The prisoner is praying for mercy. His prayer is answered — a ray of light from the image of Annunciation reaches him. Ivan the Terrible is presented on the right.

Simakov intentionally depicted the characters of executioner, waywode and the Tsar in static poses, avoiding excessive expressive effects in order to focus on the appearance of the icon. Dynamics is introduced into the picture with the figures of people in the background proceeding to the wooden chapel. The chapel was built in veneration of the icon at the behest of Ivan the Terrible.

Later the stone church of Annunciation was built in the Granary yard by order of Anna Ioanovna. The Kremlin wall, where the icon had appeared, became part of the church. A chapel was set up in the adjacent Annunciation tower. The icon itself was worshipped as a relic-not-made-by-hand and was named the Moscow Annunciation — it depicted Archangel Gabriel, bringing the Thetokos (Virgin Mary) the Glad Tidings about the birth of Christ. In 1932, during the Soviet times, the church was disassembled and stripped, from there on, the icon is considered to be lost.

Annunciation_church, _Zhitny_Dvor.jpg

Annunciation church in the Granary yard of the Moscow Kremlin, photographed by Nikolay Naidenov in 1883.

Source: wikipedia.org

Annunciation_sofia_kievskaya.jpg

Annunciation (ab. 1040). Mosaics on the two columns of the Kiev Hagia Sofia. The earliest image of Annunciation in Russian art.

Source: wikipedia.org

The image of Annunciation to the Theotokos is known to have appeared in Russia soon after the Christianization of Rus’ (Conversion of Rus’). By the middle of 11th century the mosaic with the scene of Annunciation appeared on the two columns of the Kiev Hagia Sofia. Certain details of the mosaic image point to its acanonical origin.

One of the oldest Russian icons with the same plot is the, so called, Ustuzhskoye Annunciation — the Novgorod image, dating back to the beginning of the 12th century. It is one of the few remaining icons of the pre-Mongolian period.