The Great Martyr Nikita (Nicetas the Goth) zealously worked to spread Christianity among the Goths. Through his example and inspiring words, he converted many pagans to Christianity. For his preaching, Nikita was captured and sentenced to death by being burned at the stake. He had to endure many tortures and was killed in 372 by being thrown into the fire. He was revered in both Byzantium and Asia Minor, as well as among the Slavic tribes that converted to Christianity. According to late hagiographic texts, the remains of the Holy Martyr Nikita were transferred to Constantinople by Helena, Equal to the Apostles, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Quite early in Greek and later in Slavic literature, Nikita began to be associated with the fictional martyr of the same name who suffered in the city of Nicomedia which is now the Turkish city of İzmit. Legend has it that during his time in prison, Nikita saw a vision. A demon appeared before him pretending to be an angel and tried to persuade the martyr to renounce his faith. Nikita prayed to Lord who asked him to interrogate the spirit. The saint demanded that the demon reveal its true nature and intentions. Terrified by the name of God, the demon revealed how it had tempted people to sin and tried to destroy them. In the Slavic tradition, the martyr is often referred to as Nikita the Demon-Beater.

The shape of the displayed icon is typical of early copper-cast icons. The centerpiece of the folding icon has a complicated shape — its lower part is rectangular, while the upper part is shaped like a semicircle. The scene where the saint exposes the demon became one of the most common images in Russian works depicting acts of piety. In this folding icon, the saint grabs the demon by its hair and beats it with his chains, forcing it to admit its guilt. The image of the prison cell is stylized — the vaults are supported by narrow pillars, and the roof has tent-like domes.

In the upper part of the reverse side, the Gorgon Medusa is depicted with intertwined angry snakes. Such images were found on round medallions and became known as serpent icons. At the bottom, there is a warrior fighting a dragon. This is Saint Theodore Tiron performing his miracle of defeating a serpent.