In the exhibition of the Stavropol Krai Museum of Fine Arts, there is a small collection of Russian religious art of 17th-early 20th century. It comprises 75 museum objects: iconography, repoussage and others. The main part of the collection consists of cultural heritage objects that were previously kept in the churches of the Stavropol Krai. Many of them came in during museum expedition in 1965. Later, the collection was enlarged with items donated to the museum or sold to it by residents of the region.
The distinctive feature of the collection comes from the history of the region. The Stavropol Krai is a land populated with migrators, it was formed at the end of the 18th — first half of the 19th century. The icons in Stavropol churches and families were brought to the region by immigrants from other regions of Russia. There was no local icon-painting tradition in the region.
Since the establishment of the Caucasian and Black Sea Eparchy in Stavropol in 1842, icon-painting workshops have been established in the region at the newly opened Seminary and Parochial Secondary School for Girls. In 1848, icons were painted in the workshop at St. John the Mariinsky Convent, and at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, local iconographers started working actively.
The events of the early 20th century — the October and February revolutions, the Civil War interrupted the nascent tradition of the Stavropol icon-painting school. Many works of religious art were lost, the names of the artists were forgotten. The more valuable is the preserved icon The Faithful Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky, painted by the students of the Stavropol Parochial Secondary School for Girls in 1879.
The centerpiece of the icon is made in the form of an arch, above is a white dove symbolizing the Holy Ghost. Prince Alexander Nevsky is in the center of the icon, wearing a military apparel and an imperial robe with an ermine lining. On his left and right hand are the saints. The aureoles are outlined in white and the feeling of light coming streaming from above is enhanced by the gilding. The margins of the icon are decorated with stylized leaves, flowers and fruits, the whole ornamentation is relief.
The signature icon with the image of Alexander Nevsky became a response to another attempted assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1879 — it is evidenced by identical dedicatory inscriptions at the bottom of the centerpiece of the front side and on the back of the board. After the death of Alexander II in 1881, churches and chapels in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky began to be built throughout the Russian Empire.
The distinctive feature of the collection comes from the history of the region. The Stavropol Krai is a land populated with migrators, it was formed at the end of the 18th — first half of the 19th century. The icons in Stavropol churches and families were brought to the region by immigrants from other regions of Russia. There was no local icon-painting tradition in the region.
Since the establishment of the Caucasian and Black Sea Eparchy in Stavropol in 1842, icon-painting workshops have been established in the region at the newly opened Seminary and Parochial Secondary School for Girls. In 1848, icons were painted in the workshop at St. John the Mariinsky Convent, and at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, local iconographers started working actively.
The events of the early 20th century — the October and February revolutions, the Civil War interrupted the nascent tradition of the Stavropol icon-painting school. Many works of religious art were lost, the names of the artists were forgotten. The more valuable is the preserved icon The Faithful Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky, painted by the students of the Stavropol Parochial Secondary School for Girls in 1879.
The centerpiece of the icon is made in the form of an arch, above is a white dove symbolizing the Holy Ghost. Prince Alexander Nevsky is in the center of the icon, wearing a military apparel and an imperial robe with an ermine lining. On his left and right hand are the saints. The aureoles are outlined in white and the feeling of light coming streaming from above is enhanced by the gilding. The margins of the icon are decorated with stylized leaves, flowers and fruits, the whole ornamentation is relief.
The signature icon with the image of Alexander Nevsky became a response to another attempted assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1879 — it is evidenced by identical dedicatory inscriptions at the bottom of the centerpiece of the front side and on the back of the board. After the death of Alexander II in 1881, churches and chapels in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky began to be built throughout the Russian Empire.
