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Saint Cornelius of the Pskov Caves

Sergey Simakov

Creation period

1990

Dimensions

110x130 cm

Technique

Oil on canvas

Collection

The Uglich Museum

Exhibition

Under the Gracious Protection

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Simakov S.B.

Saint Cornelius of the Pskov Caves

The main character of Sergey Simakov’s painting Saint Cornelius of the Pskov Caves is the hegumen (Father Superior) of the Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery — one of the most famous, ancient and large monasteries in Russia. Cornelius took the charge of it in 1529 at the age of 28. It was under him that the monastery began to actively develop: the brethren grew to 200 people, there were founded an icon-painting and pottery workshop, a bookish and literary school, the monastery itself was expanded, and there was built a fortress wall. In the end that was what killed Father Superior: according to legend, the fortification angered Ivan the Terrible and he personally killed the hegumen in 1570.

According to one version, the tsar suspected Cornelius of treason and cut off his head with a sabre — the artist placed this scene in the left corner of the picture. However, as legend has it, the hegumen took his head in his hands and went after the monarch: the latter fled in horror and never visited the Pskov lands again. Therefore, on the right margin of the painting, the abbot is depicted holding his own head. According to another legend, after the murder of the hegumen, Ivan the Terrible immediately repented and made many generous offerings to the monastery. Now at the site of the assassination of Cornelius stands a monument.

In the centre of the canvas, to the left of Cornelius’ monumental figure, in the monastery walls is depicted the Theotokos: one of the main relics of the cave monastery was the Pskov-Caves icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is considered miraculous: according to legend, when the Poles besieged Pskov, this image was carried along the fortress wall daily, which raised the morale of the Russian army. The enemy had been besieging the city for six months, managed to breach the wall, but failed to seize the city. In 1571-1572, Ivan the Terrible ordered to cover the icon with gold, and to decorate the kiot — the case in which it was kept — with silver.

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Pskov-Caves icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos, 1473 or 1521

Source: wikipedia.org

In this painting, Simakov depicted the moment of the assassination of Cornelius in a realistic manner, but the figures of the saints and the monastery buildings are executed in the icon-painting style. Depicting the monastery walls, the artist did not use one-point perspective: the structures are almost proportional in the foreground and background. Simakov combined icon-painting and realistic traditions in his last secular painting — Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovki, 1991.

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Sergey Simakov, Saint Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovki, 1991

Source: Uglich State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum

According to Sergey Simakov, he often painted Orthodox ascetics, admiring their courage, serenity and humility. He wrote that he would like to have their ability to ‘resist attacks and evil and get out of every cataclysm pure, without aggression, without grudge against the evil that was committed against them’.