Images of holy warriors were especially revered in Rus’. They embodied perseverance in the struggle for faith, the ideals of valour and courage. Russian icon painters of the first quarter of the 18th century often turned to the image of John the Warrior. Probably, such a popularity of the saint was associated with the Great Northern War that Russia was waging at that time. In prayers, they asked Saint John for protection from wounds, captivity and death; they prayed to him to strengthen their fighting spirit.

Icons of the great martyr with scenes of his life are quite rare. The image from the Yaroslavl Museum Reserve was created in the first third of the 18th century. On it, the figure of the saint is painted on a narrow panel, and in the image itself, there can be traced an influence of the Baroque painting style: the master carefully painted the grand swirling clouds, the ornament on the armour, the folds of the clothes of all the characters. On the icon, the narrative of the saint’s life is laconic and fits in several miniatures. The artist focused on the main image of John the Warrior. The saint holds in his hands a cross symbolizing martyrdom, and a sword in a scabbard – a sign of his link to the army.

The bottom left miniature is the composition The Nativity of John the Warrior. At the top right is the narrative of a thief who returned the stolen after the saint appeared to him. It was believed that prayer to the saint saves the house from robbers, convicts them and helps to find stolen items. In the lower part of the icon, the decorative elements – cartouches – present texts of prayers and chants dedicated to the great martyr John the Warrior. The cartouches themselves are decorated with ornate patterns.

John the Warrior lived in the 4th century during the reign of Roman Emperor Julian. The saint’s hagiography says that he served in the army. Once he was sent to one of the Roman regions with a detachment of warriors in order to persecute Christians. But John secretly sympathized with Christians, he comforted the afflicted, visited dungeons and helped believers to hide from the persecution. When Emperor Julian found out about this, he summoned John to Constantinople and imprisoned him. In captivity, the saint was subjected to painful trials. John was released from prison only after the death of the Roman ruler in the war against the Persians. Throughout his long life, he professed Christianity.