CHANCEL WALL-PAINTING

Wall-paintings in the Chancel, as well as frescoes on the east pillars of the church, are hidden behind the high iconostasis. Masters followed iconographic paintings of the Assumption Cathedral when painting the Chancel—in the central arch conch (upper part) they repeated the solemn composition The Great Entrance, showing the heavenly divine service. The apsis wall presents the scene of the Congregation of All Saints.

The east wall over the apse in the Chancel illustrates a monumental composition—The Deposition of the Holy Robe of the Virgin in Blachernae.

The High Place niche contains the image of Our Lady of Pechory and Peter and Jonah (?) interceding. The icon of Our Lady of Pechory was the patron of Russian hierarchs; it’s not without reason that her image adorned signets of the Moscow hierarchs. 

The images of the forefathers of the Church are portrayed on eastern pillars, over the arches connecting them with the east wall, and in the arches as well, though usually they are placed in the lower tier of the chancel apse. The entrance to the Chancel is decorated with the figures of Sts Nicholas and Jacob.

Places above them are occupied by round medallions with bust-length portraitures of Russian hierarchs.

Half-length portraits of three wonderworkers Leontius, Isaiah, Ignatius, the hierarchs of Rostov, who had been already revered overall in the 15th century, are placed in the conch of the Prothesis. The Agnus Dei composition depicting Child Jesus laying on a paten on the Altar occupies its south wall. There are full images of five hierarchs, facing the Saviour, depicted in a circle above the window on the north wall. An honorary place in the fresco scheme is given to the image of St John the Almsgiver.

The north-eastern small camber vault, adjoining the Prothesis, bear the images of especially venerated saints in Russia, they are Holy Martyrs Tryphon and Panteleimon, Theodor Tyrone, Procopius and St Varus, the soldier and martyr. 

It’s likely that the murals scheme in the Diaconicon of the Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe is connected with the victory over the Polish-Swedish intervention. In 1624-1626, there was made a side chapel, which was dedicated to St George the Victorious—the saint, who was considered the patron of military men and the helper in struggling against the enemy. The selection of the saints painted on its wall was determined by the fact that the side chapel was dedicated to St George.

St George’s figure is depicted on the east wall of the southern lunette. There is an image of Abercius of Hierapolis in the circle above the apsis and the images of St Confessors Samonas, Gurias and Abibus in the conch of the Diaconicon. The Mandylion, which was usually depicted on military ensigns, is painted over the window. The interceding saints are John the Soldier, Nicephorus, Boniface of Tarsus, Julian and Procopius.

The wall joining the Diaconicon bears the images of Sts Theodore Stratelates, Eustathius and Demetrius of Solun, as well as Sts Menas, Isidore and Leontius.