Icon of the crucifixion of the Savior. Icon "crucifixion"

The execution of crucifixion on the cross was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The suffering of a crucified man is indescribable. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish.

When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers served Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances in order to alleviate suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any remedy to relieve suffering. He voluntarily accepted these sufferings upon Himself for the sins of people; That's why I wanted to endure them.

Even the executioners - usually cruel people - could not coolly look at the suffering of the crucified. They prepared a drink with which they tried either to quench their unbearable thirst, or, by the admixture of various substances, to temporarily dull their consciousness and alleviate their torment. According to Jewish law, a person hung from a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to disgrace Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death.

When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew, at the 6th hour of the day. When they were crucifying Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: “Father! forgive them because they don't know what they're doing."

Two villains (thieves) were crucified next to Jesus Christ, one on the right and the other on the left side of Him. Thus, the prediction of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled, who said: “And he was counted among the evildoers” (Is. 53 , 12).

By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. On it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews and many have read it. Such an inscription did not please the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the chief priests came to Pilate and said: “Do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews.”

But Pilate replied: "What I wrote, I wrote."

Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four pieces, one piece for each warrior. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear it apart, but we will cast lots for it, whoever gets it." And casting lots, the soldiers sitting guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My garments” (Psalm. 21 , 19).

Enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. As they passed, they slandered and, nodding their heads, said: “Eh! Destroying the temple and building in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

Also the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, and the Pharisees, mockingly, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is the Christ, the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, that we may see, and then we will believe in Him. Trusted in God; may God deliver him now, if he pleases him; for He said: I am the Son of God.

Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and guarded the crucified, mockingly said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."

Even one of the crucified thieves, who was to the left of the Savior, slandered Him and said: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

The other robber, on the contrary, calmed him and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same thing (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we are justly condemned, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong. Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: “P wash me(remember me) Lord, when you come into your kingdom!»

The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who showed such wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: I tell you truly, today you will be with me in paradise«.

At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who revered Him. It is impossible to describe the sorrow of the Mother of God, who saw the unbearable torment of Her Son!

Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom He especially loved, says to His Mother: Geno! behold, thy son". Then he says to John: here, your mother". From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his house and took care of Her until the end of Her life.

Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior on Calvary, a great sign occurred. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell over all the earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account until the third hour of the day) , i.e. until the death of the Savior.

This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historian writers: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Phallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at that time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: “Either the Creator suffers, or the world is destroyed.” Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first Bishop of Athens.

Around the ninth hour, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: Or or! lima savahfani!" i.e. “My God, My God! Why did you leave me?" These were the opening words from the 21st Psalm of King David, in which David clearly foretold the suffering on the Savior's cross. With these words the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world.

Some of those standing on Golgotha, hearing these words spoken by the Lord, said: “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” And others said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him."

The Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that everything had already happened, said: “I thirst.” Then one of the soldiers ran, took a sponge, soaked it with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the withered lips of the Savior.

Having tasted the vinegar, the Savior said: “It is finished,” that is, the promise of God has been fulfilled, the salvation of the human race has been completed. Then He said in a loud voice, “Father! into your hands I commit my spirit.” And, bowing his head, he betrayed the spirit, that is, he died. And behold, the veil in the temple, which covered the holy of holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the stones split; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many.

The centurion (the head of the soldiers) and the soldiers with him, who guarded the crucified Savior, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened before them, were frightened and said: “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” And the people, who were at the crucifixion and saw everything, began to disperse in fear, striking their breasts. Friday evening came. Easter was to be eaten that evening. The Jews did not want to leave the bodies of those crucified on the crosses until Saturday, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day. Therefore, they asked Pilate for permission to kill the legs of the crucified, so that they would die sooner and could be removed from the crosses. Pilate allowed. The soldiers came and broke the shins of the robbers. When they approached Jesus Christ, they saw that He had already died, and therefore they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, so that there would be no doubt about His death, pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed from the wound.

The icon belongs to the most perfect creations of Constantinopolitan art and, on the basis of stylistic analogies in miniatures of dated manuscripts, is usually attributed to the second half of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century. It represents a completely new iconographic type of the Crucifixion in relation to the pre-iconoclastic images, also preserved in the Sinai collection. The composition becomes extremely strict and concise, including only three main figures: Christ, the Mother of God and John the Theologian.

The inscriptions are reduced to one main one on the sides of the cross - "Crucifixion". The figures of crucified robbers disappear, the Roman wars at the foot and other secondary details, which the early Byzantine icon painters enthusiastically narrated about. Attention is focused on the main event, on the psychological content of the image that gives rise to liturgical associations and a more acute emotional experience of the Expiatory Sacrifice, the visible embodiment of which was the scene of the Crucifixion.

Crucifixion with saints in the fields. Fragment.

Christ on the cross is no longer shown in a strictly frontal, solemnly hieratic pose of the victor and the “King of kings”. On the contrary, his body is depicted as bent and dangling helplessly, reminiscent of death throes. A drooping head with closed eyes also indicates the moment of death. Instead of the “royal” purple colobium, there is only a loincloth on the naked body of Christ. The rarest feature of the Sinai icon is that this dressing is depicted as completely transparent. The motive finds an explanation in Byzantine theological interpretations, in particular in a poetic inscription on another Sinaitic icon of the Crucifixion, which says that Christ, having taken on the “robe of death” for a while, was clothed in the “robe of incorruption.” Apparently, the transparent bandage was supposed to depict these heavenly invisible clothes of the Savior, proclaiming that by the sacrifice He gave salvation and incorruptibility to the world, "trampling down death by death."

Despite the fact that Christ is shown dead, blood flows from His wounds, which the icon painter depicts with all the naturalism possible for such exquisite painting. A strange feature becomes more understandable when referring to contemporary Byzantine texts of icons.

The outstanding philosopher and historian of the 11th century, Michael Psellos, left a detailed description of one image of the Crucifixion, in everything similar to the Sinai icon. Psellos praises the unknown artist for his art, which miraculously depicted Christ both alive and dead at the same time.

The Holy Spirit continued to abide in His imperishable body and the connection with the Holy Trinity did not stop. This idea acquired exceptional relevance in Byzantine theology after the Schism of 1054, when the Orthodox understanding of the Eucharistic Sacrifice and the Holy Trinity was built around this thesis, rejected by the Catholics. The icon of the Crucifixion, completely changing iconographically, continues to be a living image of the true faith, which, according to Anastasius of Sinai, is better than any text capable of refuting all heretics.

Let us also note other important details of the Sinai Crucifixion. The blood from the feet of Christ flows in streams down to the foot, made in the form of a rock with a cave inside. The image goes back to the Byzantine apocryphal legend about the cross tree, according to which the cross of the Crucifixion was placed on the burial site of Adam. Redeeming blood, shed on the skull of Adam, gave salvation to the world in the person of the first man. The burial cave of Adam was one of the main places of worship in the Jerusalem complex of the Holy Sepulcher, which the Sinai icon painter reservedly recalled. Compared with early iconography in the 11th century, the image of the cross itself acquires much greater significance, in which there is always an upper additional crossbar called “titulus” or “head”. It was this form that the erection crosses were made, installed on the altar thrones in each church. They, as a rule, contained a particle of the cross tree in the middle of the cross, which made them relics of the Crucifixion. The icon of the Crucifixion with a similar cross evoked in the Byzantine a clear association with the altar and the Eucharistic sacrifice brought on it.

Sorrowful gestures also play an important role in creating a liturgical image. The Mother of God presses her left hand to her chest, stretches out her right hand in a gesture of prayer, asking the Redeemer for mercy. John the Theologian with his right hand, as if in a gesture of despair, touches his cheek, with his left he tensely squeezes the edge of the cloak. The angels flying from heaven above not only testify to the mystical nature of the sacrament, but also demonstrate woeful amazement with a gesture of outstretched hands. With the help of barely noticeable accents, the author makes the viewer an emotional participant in the depicted scene, experiencing the gospel event as a momentary reality. It is this interpretation of the Crucifixion that is characteristic of the ek-phrasis of Michael Psellos, who, like the Sinai icon painter, consistently creates the effect of participation, which is so important for understanding the special psychologism of Komnenos' art and its liturgical fullness.

The theme of the ideal Church is developed in the images of saints in the fields, representing a kind of heavenly hierarchy. In the center of the upper field is a medallion with John the Baptist, on the sides of which are the archangels Gabriel and Michael and the supreme apostle Peter and the apostle Paul. On the side margins, from left to right, first are shown Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, unusually depicted holding a cross and a book at the same time, Nicholas the Wonderworker and Gregory the Theologian. Below them are four holy martyrs: George, Theodore, Demetrius and Procopius. In the lower corners are two of the most revered representatives of the rank of saints: Simeon the Stylite the Elder - on the right, in the inscription called "In the monastery" in memory of his glorified monastery, and Simeon the Stylite the Younger, designated on the icon as the "Wonderworker". Both are shown in puppets as great schemers and behind transparent bars marking the upper part of the undepicted pillar. In the center of the lower field is depicted St. Catherine is a clear indication of the purpose of the icon for the Sinai monastery. On either side of it are rare images of St. Valaam in monastic vestments and St. Christina, just like St. Catherine, shown in royal robes.

The strangest feature of this host of saints is the depiction of John the Baptist. In the center of the upper field between the archangels and the apostles, in a place usually owned by Christ Pantocrator. St. John holds in his hand a staff with a cross - a sign of pastoral dignity, while his right hand is folded in a gesture of prophetic blessing (transfer of grace), which is addressed to Christ on the cross. In our opinion, this is not just a reminder of the prophetic words about the Lamb of God (John 1:29), but also an indication of the symbolic meaning of Baptism, which was interpreted by Byzantine theologians as ordination - the transfer by John the Forerunner of the Old Testament priesthood to the high priest of the new Church. In this context, the robes of the archangels with their priestly surplice under their cloaks and the postures of those who turned to St. John and Christ, the founders of the earthly Church, the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Thus, the upper row of images restrainedly and thoughtfully accentuates the main liturgical meaning of the Sinai icon: Christ in the Crucifixion is both the High Priest and the Sacrifice, “bringing and offering”, in the words of the liturgical prayer.

Crucifixion of Christ - Upper Rhine master

By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. On it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews' and many have read it. Such an inscription did not please the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the high priests came to Pilate and said: “Do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews.”

But Pilate answered: "What I have written, I have written."

Also the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees, mockingly, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is the Christ, the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, that we may see, and then we will believe in Him. Trusted in God; may God deliver him now, if he pleases him; for He said: I am the Son of God.

Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and guarded the crucified, mockingly said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."

Even one of the crucified thieves, who was to the left of the Savior, slandered Him and said: “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.”

The other robber, on the contrary, calmed him and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same thing (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we are justly condemned, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong.” Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: “P wash me(remember me) Lord, when you come into your kingdom!”

The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who showed such wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: “ I tell you truly, today you will be with me in paradise“.

Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom He especially loved, says to His Mother: “ Geno! behold, thy son“. Then he says to John: here, your mother“. From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his house and took care of Her until the end of Her life.

Around the ninth hour, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: Or or! lima savahfani!” that is, “My God, My God! Why did you leave me?” These were the opening words from the 21st Psalm of King David, in which David clearly foretold the suffering on the Savior's cross. With these words the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world.

Some of those who stood on Golgotha, hearing these words spoken by the Lord, said: “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” And others said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him."

Having tasted the vinegar, the Savior said: “It is finished,” that is, the promise of God has been fulfilled, the salvation of the human race has been completed. Then He said in a loud voice, “Father! into your hands I commend my spirit.” And, bowing his head, he betrayed the spirit, that is, he died. And behold, the veil in the temple, which covered the holy of holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the stones split; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many.

Text: Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. "Law of God".

On some differences between the Catholic and Orthodox iconography of the Crucifixion.

Surprisingly, the first image of the crucifix known to us is a caricature. This is a graffito from about the 3rd century on the wall of the Palatine Palace in Rome, it depicts a man in front of a crucifixion, and the crucified one himself is blasphemously depicted with a donkey's head. The Greek inscription explains: "Αλεξαμενος ςεβετε θεον" (Alexamenes worships his God). Obviously, in this way the palace servants ridiculed a Christian who was on the staff of the palace servants. And this is not just a blasphemous picture, it is a very important evidence, it captures the worship of the crucified God.

First crucifixes

For a long time, Christians did not depict the crucifix itself, but simply various versions of the cross. The first images of the actual crucifixion date back to the 4th century. Such is, for example, the relief carved on the doors of the Basilica of St. Sabines in Rome.

The image is rather schematic, it is rather not an image of an event, but a sign, a reminder. Similar images of the crucifixion are also present in the surviving small sculptures, in particular, on the gems of the same period.

Gem. Mid 4th century. Great Britain. London. British museum

Symbolic crucifixes

The same period is characterized by "symbolic" crucifixes, representing an earlier tradition. For example, the image of a cross, in the center of which is a medallion with the image of Christ, or a symbolic image of the Lamb.

Cross with the image of Christ in the center. Mosaic. VI century. Italy. Ravenna. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

Christ the Triumphant

A little later, when the image of the crucifixion of the Lord firmly enters into Christian life, a special iconography appears - the image of Christ triumphant. It is interesting that this image, having undergone some changes, but retaining its inner content, still exists in Orthodox iconography. Christ is not simply represented as a suffering man on the cross. He triumphs over death, triumphs over suffering. The face of the Savior is extremely calm, we do not see the grimace of death, the signs of suffering. Christ's eyes are wide open, he is often dressed in a purple tunic with golden clavias (stripes). Is it worth reminding once again that this is an imperial attire? The Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed not as a prisoner subjected to a shameful execution, but as the King of Glory who conquered death (Ps. 23:9-10).

Miniature from the Gospel of Ravvula. Syria. 586 year. Italy. Florence. Laurenzian Library

We see examples of such images in book miniatures (for example, in the illustrations of the gospels of Ravvula and Rossano of the 6th century), as well as in the painting of the altar of the Roman church of Santa Maria Antiqua.

Fresco. Italy. Rome. Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua, ca. 741-752 AD

Canonical iconography

Over time, as it usually happens, the iconography acquires certain details. Basically they are borrowed from the Gospel. The main trend can be described as a desire for greater historicism (in the evangelical sense). Christ is now naked (although there is an indispensable loincloth, for reasons of propriety). Wounds exude blood, and blood and water are emphatically poured out of a wound on the chest (John 19:34), here the desire to accurately convey the gospel event may even seem unnecessarily deliberate. The blood of the Savior flows down to the foot of the cross, under which we see the skull of the forefather Adam. This is not only a tribute to the tradition, according to which Adam was buried in the Golgotha region, it is a symbol of the fact that the original sin of the ancestors was washed away by the blood of Christ. There is a tablet above the cross, which, in different icons, to one degree or another conveys the essence of the inscription mentioned in the Gospel: “Pilate also wrote the inscription and placed it on the cross. It was written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"(John 19:19), but sometimes, echoing the previous version of the iconography, it simply reads: "King of Glory."

Mosaic. Byzantium. XII century. Greece. Monastery of Daphne

Unlike the original version of the iconography, here Christ is dead, His eyes are closed. This detail is also not accidentally included in the image - the viewer must be aware that the Savior really died for our sins, and therefore really resurrected. However, in this case, we see the calmness of the face, the absence of the horror of death. The face is calm, the body is not cramped. The Lord is dead, but He still triumphs over death. This type was preserved in the art of Byzantium and the countries of the Byzantine cultural area. It has become entrenched in Orthodox iconography as a canon.

Fresco. crucifixion. Fragment. Serbia. 1209 year. Studenetsky monastery

At the same time, in the Western Church after the fall of Rome, the image of the crucifixion of the Lord began to change, and this applies to both external details and internal meaning.

three nails

From about the 13th century, in the West, the crucified Christ began to be depicted nailed not with four nails, as was traditionally depicted both in the West and in the East until that time, but with three - the Savior's legs were crossed and nailed with one nail. It is believed that for the first time such images appeared in France, and the Catholic world did not immediately accept such an image, even Pope Innocent III himself opposed it. But over time (perhaps under the influence of popes of French origin), this iconographic feature was entrenched in the Roman Church.

Crucifixion with three nails. Mariotto di Nardo. Italy. XIV-XV century. Washington, National Gallery of Art

crown of thorns

Starting from the same XIII century, Christ on the cross is increasingly depicted wearing a crown of thorns, the Gospel is silent on this matter, and this is a rare detail for traditional iconography. France again became the catalyst for such images: it was during this period that King Louis IX the Saint acquired the crown of thorns of the Savior (this sovereign collected relics taken by the crusaders from Constantinople they defeated during his entire life). Apparently, the appearance of such a revered shrine at the French court had a wide resonance to such an extent that it also migrated to iconography.

Mysticism and visionary

But these are all small, “cosmetic” details. The further the Catholic world diverged from the Orthodox, the more the symbolism of the image of the crucifixion of Christ changed. Not without enthusiastic mystical visionary, so uncritically accepted by the Catholic world (Orthodox asceticism is rather reserved and cautious about various "visions"). Here, for example, is a fragment of the vision of the famous Western visionary Brigid of Sweden: « …when He breathed his last, the mouth was opened so that the audience could see the tongue, the teeth, and the blood on the lips. Eyes rolled back. The knees bent to one side, the soles of the feet twisted around the nails, as if they were dislocated ... Convulsively twisted fingers and hands were outstretched ... »

This is an almost accurate description of one of the key subsequent Western iconographic traditions - the concentration on the suffering of Christ, the fixation of the horror of death, the naturalistic terrible details of the execution. An example is the work of the German master Matthias Grunewald (1470 or 1475-1528).

Matthias Grunewald. Germany. Beginning of the 16th century. USA. Washington. National Gallery of Art

Unlike the Orthodox icon of the crucifixion of the Lord, here we do not see the image of Christ, who is “in the tomb of the flesh, in hell with the soul, like God, in paradise with the robber, and on the throne was Thou, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, all fulfill, indescribable" (troparion of the feast of Pascha). Here is the image of a dead body. Here is not a humble prayer in anticipation of the Resurrection, but an unhealthy meditation on blood and wounds. And it is this moment, and not the number of nails, the presence or absence of a crown of thorns, the language of the inscription of the tablet, etc., that distinguishes the Catholic vision of the passions of Christ from the Orthodox.

Dmitry Marchenko

Radial edge of the sky. In the upper part is the resurrection of Christ - the Rising from the Tomb. At the bottom - the Crucifixion with the upcoming.

In the center of the icon is a copper-cast gilded eight-pointed Cross-Crucifixion. On either side of him are two groups of forthcoming. The icon has a silver frame. There are stamps: George the Victorious, stamp of the assay master Mikhail Mikhailovich Karpinsky, stamp of an unknown master, 84.

In the upper case in the hallmarks of the image: Crucifixion with the upcoming, Entombment. In the lower case: Joy to all who mourn, Resurrection-Descent into hell. On the left margin of the icon, at the bottom is the figure of the coming growth of the Monk Gennady of Kostroma. The letter is miniature in folk traditions.

In the center is placed the Cross with the crucified Christ. In the upper left corner - the Mother of God with the Child, in the right - blessing Nicholas the Wonderworker with the Gospel in his hand; in the lower left corner - the Miracle of George about the serpent, in the right corner - the Archangel Michael - the Governor of the Terrible Forces.

In the center of the icon, against the background of an architectural landscape, there is a Cross with the crucified Jesus Christ. On either side of Him are the figures of the Mother of God and the wives of Jerusalem, as well as John the Theologian and the centurion Longinus. Under the middle bar of the cross are depicted two flying angels with covered hands, mourning the death of Christ. The composition unfolds against the background of the Jerusalem wall with two pointed "Gothic turrets. The general construction of the composition and the composition of the upcoming ones is traditional for Russian icon painting of the XIV-XVI centuries. However, the poses and gestures of the figures have some rare features, in particular, the position of the dead Christ, heavily sagging on his hands nailed to the cross. His head, with a stray lock of hair, falls on his chest. Apparently, some Western European late Gothic samples were used, which were distinguished by a special expression in the transfer of the Crucifixion. The image of the Mother of God, who powerlessly fell into the hands of the myrrh-bearing women, as well as John the Theologian, represented with raised hands, goes back to the late Gothic tradition.

The icon depicts the events of Good Friday. To the left of the crucified Christ, the Mother of God with the wives, to the right, John the Theologian with Longinus the centurion. Flying angels symbolize the Old and New Testaments. Calvary - in the form of wide slides, in a large cave is depicted the skull and bones of Adam. Since ancient times, a connection has been established between the burial place of Adam and the crucifixion of Christ, the tree of knowledge and the tree of the Crucifixion.

Cross "Crucifixion" eight-pointed. The figure of the crucified Christ is elongated. Under the middle bar of the cross on the right and left are the upcoming ones: two on each side, the image is full-length. Above the head of Sabaoth on a cloud, two flying angels. Above the cross are five hallmarks with the Twelve Feasts.

In the center of the icon, against the background of an architectural landscape, the crucified Jesus Christ is represented, to whom the saints are coming: on the left - the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene, Martha, and on the right - John the Theologian and centurion Longinus. Above the cross are two archangels and the Lord of hosts in the clouds. Celestial bodies are depicted in the corners of the mullion.

Fedor Iok offers his own version of the composition, more adapted to the trapezoidal shape of the "heavenly" face. He placed the full-length figures of the Mother of God and John the Theologian under the large crossbar, successfully fitting them into the lower corners of the trapezoid. True, the figures turned out to be much smaller than the rest of the characters.

The Crucifixion is depicted in the center of the icon, on the sides above and below are four icons of the Mother of God: Tenderness to Evil Hearts, Seeking for the Lost, From Troubles to the Afflicted, Satisfy my Sorrows, next to which are depicted the upcoming ones: Saints Mary, Martha, John the Theologian, holy martyr Login. On the margins are placed the figures of an angel, John the Baptist, Nicholas the Wonderworker and the holy martyr Alexandra.

The icon was painted by Stefan Kazarinov by order of the clerk of the Pereslavl congress hut, Nikita Maksimov Vedernitsyn. The crucifix with seven sacraments is interesting for its symbolic-allegorical composition and "realistic" elements. It is possible that in the scene “The Sacrament of Marriage”, located at the foot of a flourishing cross, and not in the medallions-flowers of its crown, like everyone else, members of the Vedernitsyn family are depicted.