The displayed icon depicts Demetrius of Rostov, a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, a preacher, missionary, enlightener, and Christian writer. Demetrius was born into the family of a Cossack lieutenant near Kiev in 1651. He studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy and took monastic vows as a young man. He soon became famous for his sermons.

In 1684, Demetrius settled in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and began compiling a collection of the hagiographies of saints — the Great Menaion Reader. This book became an outstanding work of Slavic literature and was reprinted many times. It contained descriptions of the lives of 664 saints, including 24 saints from the Old Testament, 571 Orthodox, 65 Russian, and 4 South Slavic saints. Demetrius worked on this project intermittently for 20 years.

In 1702, Demetrius was appointed head of the Rostov and Yaroslavl dioceses. His time in Rostov was the culmination of his service, as he worked to educate the parishioners, fought against drunkenness and ignorance, and founded a Slavic-Greek school that taught Greek and Latin. In 1709, he passed away and was buried in the church of the Monastery of St. Jacob Savior in Rostov according to his wishes. Legend has it that in 1752, it was discovered that his body was not subjected to decay. Five years later, Demetrius was canonized and venerated. Saint Demetrius of Rostov is particularly revered by Cossacks because he came from an ancient Cossack family.

The iconography of Saint Demetrius was formed based on the saint’s portraits, many of which were created after his canonization. Due to the influence of the portrait genre and its distinctive traits in the icons of Demetrius, the image of the church scholar and author of theological works is clearly expressed. In the icon, Saint Demetrius is depicted half-length, with his head turned to the left in a three-quarter view. With his right hand, he makes a blessing gesture, and in his left hand, he holds a staff. He is dressed in a bishop’s mantle and a white hood with a yellow cross. There is an engolpion on his chest. Along the perimeter, the icon is framed by non-ferrous metal overlays with silver plating decorated with a floral pattern.