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Icon: Christ Pantokrator

Here Christ is shown holding a book of Gospels and delivering a blessing. The abbreviated shoulder height inscription identifies him as Господь Вседержитель
– The Lord Almighty. The icon depicts Christ as the ruler or sovereign of the universe. This title (Вседержитель) is taken from the book of Revelation 1:8, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord, Who Is, Who Was and Who is To Come, the Almighty.’ The icon is often also referred to by its Greek title, Pantokrator (Παντοκράτορ) which means ‘Almighty. ‘

Greek letters in the halo: O ΩN (‘the Being’ or ‘He who is’), based on ‘I am that I am’ from Exodus 3;13-14; Greek letters on the side: IC XC = Jesus Christ.

The icon is overlaid with an ornate silver, repoussed, and chased revetment (oklad) with cloisonné enameled halo. The tripartite halo includes a turquoise ground with filigree scroll work. Hallmarked Moscow, assayer’s mark, 84 standard and master’s mark G.M. in Cyrillic = Gerasim Alekseevich Mitrofan, 1896 – 1908.