Continuity of Traditions in the Theotokos Shroud Images Creation: From Royal Craftwork Rooms — to Modern Russian Workshops

Abstract

In modern practices of Russian Orthodoxy, the feast of the Virgin Mary Dormition is so­lemnized with great splendor. During these celebrations in large and small religious centers, a liturgical image, in the Russian Orthodox Church called “The Theotokos Holy Shroud”, becomes the central temple image. This article, for the first time, makes an attempt to track down a continuity in the Dormition Shroud images creation — from royal craftwork rooms of medieval Russia to modern workshops. Learning on previous masterpieces, present-day apprentices contribute to preservation and deve­lopment of the unique traditions of national culture. The article introduces into scientific circulation a number of rare artifacts that become a subject of research for the first time. The study provides facts refuting the nowadays-widespread opinions that, in the alleged absence of material evidence (preserved monuments) of an earlier time, the period in which these images originated dates back to the late 19th century. This determines the relevance of the study. The author comes to the conclusion that, however brief and undescriptive the data recorded in documentary sources are, they make it clear that these relics already existed in the late Middle Ages, though questions of authorship and artistic value of the works still remain to be answered. This analysis becomes possible through studying the Synodal era images discovered in vestiaries of churches in the Moscow region, as well as those reported in some historical descriptions. Modern masters recreate works of high artistic le­vel, applying a combination of the ancient heritage and the modern variety of materials and innovative technologies. The data presented in the article contribute to further studying of the issues embra­cing emergence and spread of the liturgical images of the Theotokos Shroud in the practices of Russian Orthodoxy. It is also important to trace back the historical background of those selected artifacts first mentioned in this paper.