One of the most revered saints of the Russian North is Nicholas of Mozhaisk. Almost every church had his images, which is why statues of Saint Nicholas are most widely represented in the sculpture collection of the Solvychegodsk Museum-Reserve.

This profound admiration for the saint can partly be explained by the region’s specifics. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of warriors, travelers, and sailors and thus was important for the people who were exploring the vast territories of Siberia and the Urals.

In the Solvychegodsk Museum’s collection, Saint Nicholas is depicted according to the iconographic type of “Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk”. The proportions of the figure are slightly squat but harmonious. Nicholas wears a dark green sticharion — a liturgical vestment — with light-colored cuffs intended for pulling down the sleeves.

The hem of the sticharion is decorated with narrow red and ocher stripes. On the right side is a light ocher epigonation embroidered with crosses. The epitrachelion — a narrow stole worn around the neck — is of the same color as the epigonation and is decorated with a “pearl” stitch and six colored tassels at the bottom edge.

The phelonion — the upper liturgical vestment — is decorated with a cross pattern both on the outside and inside. At the front, the edge of the phelonion is bent and raised on the chest and above the elbows. The bent edge of the phelonion was characteristic of the images of Saint Nicholas in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Another characteristic detail of this period is the large halo around the saint’s head. It is decorated with a mesh pattern, with each cell featuring a geometric inflorescence.

The head of Saint Nicholas is elongated; he has a high forehead. The well-defined deep eye sockets with rounded eyebrows, large convex almond-shaped eyes, and elongated straight nose are depicted using the simple but expressive sculptural technique, typical of monumental and decorative statues. The medium-length beard and mustache are depicted schematically, without details.

The sculptor outlined the hair strands using light gray strokes against a darker background. From the small circle at the top of the head, the saint’s hair descends to the back of the head and ears. Based on these characteristic artistic techniques, this work can be dated to the 17th century.