The icon ‘The Life of the Holy Prophet Elijah with the Saints’ was painted by an unknown artist in the 19th century. He first applied gold on a solid board, then painted the biblical scenes of Elijah’s life with tempera and varnished the icon.
In the upper left corner, there is an image of Sabaoth in a swollen cloud — this image of God emphasizes that he is the almighty ruler of heaven and earth. In the center, the icon painter depicted the prophet Elijah in a cave holding a staff in his hands.
In the top left scene, Elijah pushes the waters apart with his ‘mantle’ — a fur cloak. Behind him is a disciple — the prophet Elisha. At the bottom left, the Angel bowed over Saint Elijah. On the top right, there is a scene of Elijah’s ascension to heaven: he is taken by a fiery chariot, and the prophet throws his cloak over to Elisha.
On the margins of the icon, on the left and right, there are images of six saints that are historically unrelated to each other: St. Michael the Archangel, St. Alexander Nevsky, and others.
In the kingdom of Israel, Elijah advocated for the purity of faith and denounced idolatry. At that time, the kingdom was ruled by Ahab. Legend has it that his wife Jezebel established a pagan cult and expelled all the champions of the true faith from the country. Elijah told Ahab that for these acts the kingdom of Israel would suffer a famine for several years. Jezebel ordered to kill the prophet for this speech and disobedience. However, he went into the wilderness, where he chose Elisha as his disciple and successor. For his deeds, Elijah ascended to heaven alive: ‘suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated them both, and Elijah rushed in a whirlwind to Heaven’.
‘The Life of the Holy Prophet Elijah with the Saints’ was a patronal icon in the Church of the Prophet Elijah in the village of Iglakovo. The parish of the Iglakov church included Beloborodovo, Popadeikino, Pesochnaya (now the city of Seversk is located there). The Iglakov Temple was consecrated with this icon when it was opened in 1862. The believers carried it during the procession with the cross to all the villages on Easter.
In 1936, the temple was closed just like in other villages, and a collective farm warehouse was arranged in the building. In 1951, when Seversk was built, there were soldier’s barracks in the church, and in the fall of the same year, the temple burned down. Now a chapel of the Prophet Elijah is open in Iglakovo.
A local woman preserved and hid the ancient artwork, when the persecution of the Church began. In 1990, before her death, she asked her son, Evgeny Kalmaev, to donate the icon to a new church in Seversk. However, the head priest of the church, Father Mikhail, sent it to the museum. In 2011, the icon was restored at the Tomsk Art Museum.
In the upper left corner, there is an image of Sabaoth in a swollen cloud — this image of God emphasizes that he is the almighty ruler of heaven and earth. In the center, the icon painter depicted the prophet Elijah in a cave holding a staff in his hands.
In the top left scene, Elijah pushes the waters apart with his ‘mantle’ — a fur cloak. Behind him is a disciple — the prophet Elisha. At the bottom left, the Angel bowed over Saint Elijah. On the top right, there is a scene of Elijah’s ascension to heaven: he is taken by a fiery chariot, and the prophet throws his cloak over to Elisha.
On the margins of the icon, on the left and right, there are images of six saints that are historically unrelated to each other: St. Michael the Archangel, St. Alexander Nevsky, and others.
In the kingdom of Israel, Elijah advocated for the purity of faith and denounced idolatry. At that time, the kingdom was ruled by Ahab. Legend has it that his wife Jezebel established a pagan cult and expelled all the champions of the true faith from the country. Elijah told Ahab that for these acts the kingdom of Israel would suffer a famine for several years. Jezebel ordered to kill the prophet for this speech and disobedience. However, he went into the wilderness, where he chose Elisha as his disciple and successor. For his deeds, Elijah ascended to heaven alive: ‘suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated them both, and Elijah rushed in a whirlwind to Heaven’.
‘The Life of the Holy Prophet Elijah with the Saints’ was a patronal icon in the Church of the Prophet Elijah in the village of Iglakovo. The parish of the Iglakov church included Beloborodovo, Popadeikino, Pesochnaya (now the city of Seversk is located there). The Iglakov Temple was consecrated with this icon when it was opened in 1862. The believers carried it during the procession with the cross to all the villages on Easter.
In 1936, the temple was closed just like in other villages, and a collective farm warehouse was arranged in the building. In 1951, when Seversk was built, there were soldier’s barracks in the church, and in the fall of the same year, the temple burned down. Now a chapel of the Prophet Elijah is open in Iglakovo.
A local woman preserved and hid the ancient artwork, when the persecution of the Church began. In 1990, before her death, she asked her son, Evgeny Kalmaev, to donate the icon to a new church in Seversk. However, the head priest of the church, Father Mikhail, sent it to the museum. In 2011, the icon was restored at the Tomsk Art Museum.
