Travel icon depicting Saint Sergius, 19th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × width: 10 × 9 cm Weight: 183.3 g.

The most venerated of Russian saints. The saint is depicted frontally: he wears monastic robes with a mantle, sports a long beard, and holds a scroll, symbolizing his spiritual authority and teaching. Above his figure, within a frame decorated with vegetal motifs, is a small scene of the Holy Trinity, usually represented as the Trinity of Abraham’s Hospitality—three angels seated around a table. This choice is intentional: Saint Sergius was the founder of the monastery dedicated to the Trinity at the Lavra, and devotion to the Trinity was central to his spirituality. This icon also belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, produced in series from the 17th century and characterized by strict adherence to the canons of the Byzantine tradition. These artifacts, often made of bronze and sometimes enriched 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, experienced periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.