The Christian prophet Elijah is mentioned in the Old Testament. He was born 9 centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. Christian canonical texts describe several episodes from his life.

The Prophet Elijah was revered in ancient Russia. One of the first Orthodox churches in Kiev was consecrated in his honor. Elijah was especially honored in the Russian North among the Old Believers. The Prophet rose to heaven in fire, and for the Old Believers, fire was a symbol of purification. The iconographic motif of ‘Elijah the Prophet’s Fiery Ascension with Hagiographic scenes’ also appeared in the Russian North. The image was supplemented with fragments depicting Elisha, the disciple of Elijah. In the icon, the prophet throws him his mantle, a fleece cloak. Elisha hits the waters of the Jordan River with the mantle, and the waters part.

The icon was painted on a wooden base after making the ark or a recess for the main image. At the edges, the icon painters left a frame. In this icon, it was painted over with dark olive paint. The upper part of the frame is decorated with Cyrillic ligature, a special decorative script in which words are combined into an ornamental pattern.