Icon of St Nicholas the Wonder-Worker

Possibly the work of a master from the northern Russian town of Kargopol, this icon was painted in the late 15th or early 16th century. St Nicholas is shown in traditional pose, wearing bishop's robes. His right hand is raised in blessing, while in his left he holds an open Gospels. Such waist-length depiction of St Nicholas is the most current type in Old Russian art. This particular icon was included into a Deisis Tier - the main part of the iconostasis, expressing the idea of intercession by the saints for mankind before Christ the judge (Deisis - in Greek means "supplication" or "entreaty") on the day of the Last Judgement.