“If you want to venerate the Mother of God, go to Kiev. If you want to sing
praise to the Holy Wisdom of God, go to Novgorod. But if you want to worship the Holy Trinity, come
to Pskov”. In this high tech age we often disregard the experience and wisdom of the ancient.
When you are in Pskov, you learn by experience that you shouldn’t.
Pskov developed its
own medieval iconographic style and distinctive whitewashed church architecture. The earliest and
best preserved frescoes in this area can be found in the 12th -13th century Mirozhsky Monastery.
Shown left, for example, is the fresco of the soul stirring scene of the mourning of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. It dates back to 1197 and has kept stuck in my mind since the first time I saw it.
Pskov presently is the home of contemporary iconographers Fr. Teodor Zinon and
Fr. Andrei Davydov.
Click this
line to read how Pskov became home for the latter.
Fr. Zinon's icons can be seen in the
monastery as well as in the chapel of the majestic Trinity Cathedral in the Pskov Kremlin.
