This precious icon of Saints Olga and Michael, flanked by Saint Basil the Great and Saint Agnes, comes from central Russia and dates to the early 19th century. The work is an excellent example of Orthodox devotional art, executed with egg tempera on panel and finished with a gilded border that enhances its compositional rigor and spiritual value.
The figure of Archangel Michael dominates the center, depicted as a celestial leader, dressed as a warrior with armor, spear, and a red mantle, a symbol of divine power and justice. To his left is Saint Princess Olga, considered the first canonized saint of Kievan Rus', in royal attire and with an imperial halo. On the opposite side, we recognize Saint Basil, father of the Eastern Church and a fundamental theologian for Orthodox liturgy, holding the holy book and the scroll of the Law. Next to him stands Saint Agnes, a martyr of purity, with a gentle face and understated gesture.
At the top, in the center of the icon, the Mandylion, the Holy Acheiropoietos Image of Christ, is prominently displayed, a testament to a divine presence not made by human hands, placed to protect the depicted saints.
