The Great Martyr St. George the Victorious is pictured at the center of this large church icon. Surrounding the central figure is a wide border on which the bust-size figures of selected saints are painted. Above St. George appears the Deesis – Christ with the Mother of God and John the Baptist – flanked by the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. To either side stand three pairs of saints: Nicholas and Elijah, Peter and Paul, and Anthony the Great and a monastic. Along the lower border are seven martyr saints, each of whom holds the eight-point cross that symbolizes their martyrdom.

The iconography of St. George slaying the dragon was particularly popular in the city of Novgorod, as was the commissioning of icons with selected saints. In doing so, the client was able to specify an array of saints who were of special significance to himself and his family.

Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973

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