Holy Sergy Radonezhsky # 26 Roerich N.K. (Part 3)

A description of Nicholas Roerich’s painting St. Sergius of Radonezh

Nicholas Roerich’s painting St. Sergius of Radonezh, painted in 1932, depicts the Venerable Sergius. Roerich carried his love for the image of this miracle worker through his life.

St. Sergius stands in the foreground, on a hill of color reminiscent of the color of unburnt clay. His figure is tall and statuesque, harmonious in everything, his countenance is majestic and kind, and his halo, clothes and the sign of trinity make us understand his high position and emphasize his power and significance. In his hands he holds a beautiful temple, the symbol of the temple of the human soul. The wonderworker Sergius admonishes the troops and prays for their safe return.

The helmets of the soldiers marching to a feat of arms can be seen over the hill. They march in straight lines, proudly carrying the red banners. They go into battle bravely and with dignity, aware of the power of the help of St. Sergius and the Russian church, standing in the distance and painted with wonderfully matching colors. Even in the sky one can see the manifestations of heavenly help: it is unusually blue and fades to white and yellow hues, as if from the brightness of the halo and the spiritual light of Sergius. And the dirty clouds are also cleansed, becoming whiter, which symbolizes the cleansing of the earth from various vices and bad thoughts.

The all-seeing Eye which is clearly seen through the thick black clouds is the eye of the Creator who is far away and invisible to people, but nevertheless always watches over them and protects them. In general, the Eye can often be seen on early Russian icons, but in these later works it appears quite rarely.

The entire canvas is imbued with spirituality, and there is even an icon with the face of Christ the Savior at the bottom right.

The greatest ascetic of the Russian land, St. Sergius is the image of an educator, teacher and intercessor for all people and at all times. During his lifetime this man strove with all his might to unite Russia and achieve its moral rebirth. He united the soldiers before many campaigns, and it is in this image that he appears to us in this picture.