Pectoral icon depicting Saints Boris and Gleb, Early 20th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × width: 11.5 × 10 cm Weight: 311.5 g.

Among the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus’ and venerated as martyrs of the faith and protectors of the Russian land, Boris and Gleb were brothers, sons of Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev (the one who converted Rus’ to Christianity) and Anna Porphyrogenita. After their father’s death, in 1015 AD, they were assassinated by their older half-brother, Sviatopolk the Accursed, who sought to eliminate rivals for the throne of Kiev. Although they were military commanders, usually depicted on horseback, they chose not to raise arms, accepting death to imitate the sacrifice of Christ. Thus, they belong to a category of typically Russian saints, the strastoterptsy (“sufferers of the Passion”). They are not martyrs in the classical sense (killed out of hatred for the faith), but Christian witnesses who accept an unjust death with humility and a spirit of nonviolence. The central scene is surmounted, at the top, by the Mandylion of Edessa, the acheropita face of Christ, which seals the work as a sign of authenticity and divine protection. The entire composition is then surrounded by a host of saints, arranged along the sides of the plaque, emphasizing the celestial and intercessory dimension of the representation. This icon belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, produced in series from the 17th century onward and characterized by strict adherence to the canons of the Byzantine tradition. These artifacts, often made of bronze and sometimes enhanced with colored enamels, were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability allowed them to be easily carried and, if necessary, hidden, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, after the schism known as the Raskol, endured periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.