VENERATION TIER

The Veneration tier of the iconostasis, the lower one, consists of icons made at varying times and different in style. Moreover, the order of the position of icons in this tier is not as strict as in the upper ones.

There are the Holy Doors in the centre of the tier—the entrance to the Chancel; to the left and to the right of the Holy Doors there are two small doors, they lead to the Prothesis and to the Diaconicon. After the reconstruction in the 19th century, the Holy Doors were replaced by silver-gilt carved gates in the Classicism style. In the 1960s, they were replaced again by other ones from the Kremlin’s basic collection, dating back to the 16th century, which is close to the iconostasis’ creation time and style of painting.

The Holy Doors embodies the entry to Heaven, which is embodied in the Chancel. According to this conception, the upper leaves of the Doors bear the Annunciation illustration, symbolizing the opening of the world salvation which opens the entry for a man to Heaven. The lower leaves depict the four Evangelists, bearing good tidings about it.

The canopy above the Holy Doors, which are decorated with the painting of the late 17th – early 18th century, originates from the old Kremlin’s Church dedicated to the Saviour and dismantled in 1929. The communion service is held by the Altar before the Holy Doors in the Chancel. That is why there is the illustration of The Communion in the Species of Wine and Bread of the Apostles on the canopy.

The small doors belong to the old iconostasis of the Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe and may have been made in 1627 as well. The doors of the Prothesis illustrate The Good Thief who accepted the Christ in his last-minute before death. The depiction of The Calvary Cross and the Instruments of Christ's Passions is placed on the door leading to the Diaconicon and refers to the type of the rare ones.

The images of Christ and the Mother of God are traditionally placed on both sides of the Holy Doors. The second to the right is the patronal icon depicting a saint or a feast to which the church is dedicated. From the time of Patriarch Nikon, the icons in the Church of the Deposition of the Holy Robe are placed in such order: to the right of the Holy Doors, there is an icon of the Deposition of the Holy Robe of the Virgin in Blachernae and The Old Testament Trinity to the left.

The Old Trinity icon, in general, reminds of the Trinity icon painted by Andrey Rublev and is considered to be one of the best examples of Nazary Istomin’s works. The Virgin and Child placed to the left of the Old Testament Trinity must have been painted by him as well.

Other icons in the Veneration tier are not related to the Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe. They were placed here in the 1960s when the museum exposition was been made, as they are close to the others in style and manner of working, and were made at about the same time.