Contemporary Perception of the Protoevangelium Ancient Frescoes of the Mirozhsky Monastery

Abstract

The article reveals artistic features of the unique ancient frescoes of the Protoevangelium cycle of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery in Pskov, dedicated to the life of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as her childhood and youth. The article considers a brief history of the first artistic ima­ges of the Virgin, her life and the Protoevangelium cycles in the history of world art and the monumental painting in the period from 2nd to the 12th century. In previous scientific publications, the attention was paid to the history of the monastery, the disclosure of ancient fresco technique and technology, the conditions of frescoes preservation, as well as the main characters and the content of the scenes. The novelty of this study lies in the analysis of artistic features of the Protoevangelium compositions of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery and in the disclosure of a narrower to­pic insufficiently covered in the specific literature and requiring further in-depth research: the perception of the ancient frescoes’ background details by vie­wers of the 21st century. The article analyzes the artistic features of additional, secondary background details of the frescoes, whose thoroughness is unique for the medieval period of Christianity formation in Russia. The author focuses on our contemporaries’ perception of the features of the composition and color of the Mirozhsky Monastery’s Protoevangelium frescoes’ background in comparison with similar scenes of medieval murals in temples of Kiev, Veliky Novgorod, Polotsk and other cities. The artistic compositions of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral were developed on the initiative of Archbishop Nifont, one of the most educated people of his time, and made by Byzantine masters invited to Pskov to paint the walls in the first half of the 12th century. The frescoes of the Protoevangelium cycle are located in a separate South-Western compartment under the choirs. This article organically complements the scientific publications devoted to the analysis of gospel scenes, acts of the apostles, the life cycle of the Pope Clement, prophets and martyrs depicted in the paintings of the Mirozhsky Monastery.