Grand 19th C. Russian Minyeaia Icon

Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 19th century CE. An enormous minyeia or calendar icon, a veritable timetable of sainthood with each figure identified, displaying the feasts of the entire liturgical year. The entire piece is skillfully painted in brilliant jewel tone reds, blues, and greens; more unusual whites, pinks, and aquas; as well as browns and ochres of the monks, martyrs, virgins, deacons, and bishops against a glimmering gold leaf background. Not one color dominates; instead they coexist in breathtaking harmony, a visual reflection of heavenly splendor.

Icons of this grand scale called minyeia depicting the calendar year were very popular in Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries. A minyeia like this example would have hung in a home or a church as worshippers used them to celebrate the feast days.

Calendar icons portray the feast days of the saints in chronological order, usually alternating with movable liturgical feasts, as dictated by the Orthodox calendar, which begins on the first of September. Calendar icons may be referred to as menologia (annual) or synaxaria (monthly), and their many panels are modeled on miniatures featured in manuscript collections of saints' lives.

Sometimes the artist has elected to depict saints who are celebrated the same day together, and other times only the first saint celebrated is depicted. Most often saints are depicted standing; however, martyred saints are typically shown at the moment of their martyrdom. The background color for the icon is oftentimes significant, chosen to distinguish various categories of saints. Menologion icons are exhibited in the church on a special lectern called the analogion.