The Annunciation of Ustyug | Orthodox Christian Canvas Icon

The Annunciation of Ustyug (Russian: Устюжское Благовещение) is among the oldest of Russian icons still extant, dating to the 12th century. It is among the few icons to have survived the Mongol invasion of Rus' since the city where it was made, Novgorod, was spared destruction (the only other city thus spared was Pskov). 

The icon is of sufficient importance to have had its history detailed in multiple 16th and 17th century sources, including the Second Chronicle of Novgorod. According to the chronicles, the icon was transferred from the Saint Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Cathedral in Novgorod to Moscow by Ivan the Terrible: first, to the Cathedral of the Annunciation, then later to the Dormition Cathedral. It was moved to the State Historical Museum after the closing of the Dormition Cathedral in 1918 by the Bolsheviks. Restoration of the ancient icon was begin in 1920 and completed in 1935 at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, where it resides to this day.

The icon gained its title "of Ustyug" from the tradition relating how Saint Procopius of Ustyug (a 13th century German convert to Orthodoxy, and the first fool-for-Christ in Slavic lands) predicted the fall of a meteorite near the town of Veliky Ustyug, as well as a subsequent tornado and large fire. At that time, the icon of the Annunciation was situated in the main church of the town. The saint tried to convince the town's citizens to repent, confess their sins and pray for the city to be saved, but initially they did not heed his counsel.

Only after the storm had already started did they repent, run to the church and start to pray, and St Procopius himself prayed in front of the icon of the Annunciation. Thus was the destruction of the town narrowly averted, and the icon has since then been associated with the saving of Ustyug.

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Please note, as with all the icon reproductions sold by Remembrance of Death, this icon is printed-on-demand, which means there is no opportunity to bless it prior to shipping, since it's shipped directly from the manufacturer. Buyers should therefore seek a proper blessing from a priest for this icon, prior to using it in prayer.

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Features:

• Cotton and polyester canvas composite with a special proprietary coating.
• Solidly-constructed with inner frame made from radial pine sourced from renewable forests.
• Soft rubber dots on bottom back corners for support.
• Back hanging included.