Russian Pilgrim Art from the 12th to the 15th Century — Archaeological Elements and Problems of Romanesque Influence

Abstract

Among various pilgrim artifacts found in Novgorod, a group of small carved icons in local stone has long attracted attention. They were undoubtedly produced in medieval Novgorod and were probably used by Russian pilgrims as eulogia, remembrances of the Holy Places. This article is devoted only to the icons depicting the scene of the Mνρøϕòρøι, the ‘Three Marys at the Tomb’. The origins of the iconography of this scene, both complicated and unique, has been the subject of much discussion in Russia, for it appears to be related to Byzantium as well as to Romanesque Europe. However, no detailed comparative analysis has yet been applied to this scene. This paper is intended to draw the attention of Western scholars to this debate and to advance the investigation by resolving certain problems with reference to multi-cultural influences. The comparative analysis of one of the central elements of the composition, a sarcophagus, proves that it belongs to a large group of West European representations of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This group is distinguished by the depiction of three holes on the side of the sarcophagus, an iconographic feature which appeared by the mid 12th century and became widespread during the 13th. This new element probably results from pilgrims' requests to reflect in art the erection of a new transenna (protective screen) within the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, possibly in the Byzantine rebuilding of the structure in the early 11th century and certainly no later than 1107–8. Russian pilgrims, mainly from Novgorod, travelled actively to the Holy Land from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The Russian Abbot Daniel left what may be the earliest known description of the new transenna. We have every reason to assume that the iconography of small carved Russian icons was introduced from pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre; indeed, the long-standing problem over the origin of this iconography cannot be solved unless considered as a result of West European derivation.