COPIES OF COVERED ICONS OF ST. SERGIY OF RADONEZH MADE IN I. M. MALYSHEV’S WORKSHOP FROM COLLECTION OF MUSEUM-PRESERVE OF SERGIEV POSAD
This article analyses available publications on the full-height icon of St. Sergiy of Radonezh with a precious revetment that served as a lock of the Saint’s reliquary since 1585. This icon is venerated at the Holy Trinity Lavra. The article describes and makes public copies of this icon discovered in 2018-2019 in churches and museums of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Montenegro. The pious tradition of using boards of decrepit coﬃns of saints to make icons, crosses and panhagias has existed in the Russian Orthodox Church since old times. The article shows that the sepulchral icon by the reliquary of St. Sergiy was replaced several times during the 400 years. Each time, the old board was used for icons, but the icon that is under the revetment now is not the lock of the reliquary as was believed in the 19th century. The board is younger than the revetment by approximately 250 years. However, there is a stable tradition in the Lavra’s icon-painting workshop to make copies of this icon. The precious revetment was imitated in the copies by means of leucas carving. In the copies, parts of the relics or part of the coﬃn of the Saint were placed. They were in demand everywhere and were greatly venerated.