Robe (funeral clothing) of the Virgin — one of the most revered Christian relics. In 473, she was secretly transported to Constantinople from Palestine by the brothers Galvius and Candide and soon solemnly transferred, in the presence of the imperial family and the patriarch, to the specially built for her reliquary church of Saint Shrine in Blachernae. In the composition of the frescoes, the Robe is represented in a golden ark on the throne of the Blachernae Church, under the icon of Our Lady. Nearby are the patriarch of Constantinople, Gennady in prayer, and the Byzantine emperor Leo I Makella, who consecrates himself with the sign of the cross. At the head of the retinue behind them are the brothers Galvius and Candide.

The event of the transfer of the Reese of the Virgin to the Church of Blachernae is described in detail in the ‘Praiseworthy Word’ (7th century), on the basis of which a historical type of holiday iconography was created in the form of a shrine worship scene in Byzantine art. This iсоnography was most prevalent in the Russian church art of the 15th — 17th centuries.

Full name: Location of the robe of the Mother of God in Blachernae
Creation Time: 1641
Technique: Fresco, Tempera
Location: East Slope of the Northern Arches