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t is said that the prototype of this icon was dug up in the city of Kazan in 1579 by a girl named Matrona and her mother after the Virgin appeared repeatedly in the girl’s dreams, telling her of the buried icon. It was found in the ashes of a destroyed house, beneath the stove, wrapped in cloth. One of the two most famous icons in Russia it accompanied soldiers freeing Moscow from the Poles in 1612, and was with the troops fighting Napoleon in 1812, though in the latter case a copy is said to have been used. Some believe the original icon was destroyed in a fire in the time of Peter the Great, when it was housed in the St. Petersburg Cathedral of the Mother of God of Kazan. The image later considered to be the “original” was actually a recreation. The icon regarded as the true “Kazan,” copy or not, disappeared in 1905. Many regard it to be the same icon, which was sold in America in 1970 to a Roman Catholic society. The image is now kept in the Marian shrine of Fatima, Portugal. The borders of this example display the Mother and Son Martyrs, Saint Kirik (left) and his mother Saint Ulitta (right). Beaded rizas such as this example are most often attributed to the peasant class. In lieu of a silver riza, which would have been quite expensive, peasants turned to sewing, a craft all were familiar with, to make their own icon covers. One can imagine passing the long winter days of Russia making the decorative riza to honor the image which the icon depicted.

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45-Russian Icon
Saint Antipas
19th century
Egg tempera, gold leaf on wood panel. Silvered metal riza
12.25" x 10.5"
James and Tatiana Jackson Collection

his icon depicts St. Antipas delivering a blessing with his right hand in the manner favored by the “Old Believers.” His left hand holds the Gospels, a sign that he is a teacher in the church. The elaborate inscription reads, “The Holy Priest-Martyr Antipas Bishop of Pergamum.” Antipas is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as “Antipas My faithful martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth” (Revelations 2:13) - the city of Pergamum. The inhabitants of Pergamum dwelt in the darkness of idolatry and in the depths of impurity. They were slaves to their passions, slanderers, bullies, incestuous. He who would seize and kill a Christian was regarded as good and just. The whole of their idolatrous faith consisted of soothsaying, the interpretation of dreams, the services of demons and the extreme excesses of debauchery. Among these slaves of Satan, dwelt Antipas “as a light in the midst of darkness, as a rose among thorns, as gold in mud.” In terror of Antipas, as of fire, the demons appeared to the pagan priests in their dreams and told them that their great fear of Antipas was driving them from the city. The priests stirred up the multitude and they began to torment Antipas, pressing him to deny Christ and worship idols. Antipas said to them, “Then your so-called gods and lords of the universe are afraid of me, a mortal man, and have to flee the city, why do you not learn from this that your faith is in vain?” The saint spoke further with them of the Christian faith as the only true and saving faith, but the people became incensed like wild beasts and dragged the aged Antipas before the temple of Artemis, where an ox cast in bronze stood. They heated the ox and threw the servant of God inside. St. Antipas, inside the red-hot ox, glorified God with thanksgiving, like Jonah in the shale and the Three Children in the fiery furnace. Antipas prayed for his flock and for the whole world, until his soul parted from his exhausted body and went to join the angels in the Kingdom of Christ. He was crowned with unfading glory in the year 92.