''Blessed Be the Host of the Heavenly Tsar'' (Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя), also known as the ''

Ecclesia militans In some strains of Christian theology, the Christian Church may be divided into: *the Church Militant (), also called the Church Pilgrim which consists of Christians on earth who struggle as soldiers of Christ against sin, the devil, and "the ...

'' ("The Church Militant"), is a grand

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

commemorating the

conquest of Kazan The siege of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of the Russo-Kazan Wars and led to the fall of the Khanate of Kazan. Conflict continued after the fall of Kazan, however, as rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new khan wa ...

Ivan IV of Russia Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Iva ...

(1552). Measuring almost four meters in width, ''Ecclesia militans'' is one of the largest icons ever produced in medieval

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. It has been attributed to Ivan's confessor Andrew (later known as

Athanasius, Metropolitan of Moscow Athanasius (; real name – ''Андрей'', or Andrei) (early 16th century – 1570s) was the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' from March 1564 to May 1566. He was the eleventh Metropolitan in Moscow to be appointed without the approval of ...

). The icon shows Ivan the Terrible as he follows the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

in leading the triumphant Russian troops away from the conquered city in flames (symbolising both

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...

' and Sodom). In the top left corner of the icon the Mother of God with the infant Jesus is shown seated outside the heavenly gate of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

(symbolising the city of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

) and distributing crowns to messenger angels who proceed to reward the martyrs of Ivan's army. This unusually sophisticated iconography has generated a plethora of interpretations. It is often assumed that the Tsar is followed by his ancestors such as

Dmitry Donskoy Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( rus, Дми́трий Ива́нович Донско́й, Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry (12 October 1350 – 1 ...

and other

Grand Princes of Vladimir The grand duke of Vladimir was the ruler of a principality during the era of Kievan Rus' and after its collapse. It ruled territory approximately bounded by three rivers, the Volga, the Oka and the Northern Dvina. From 1157 to 1238 its capital was ...

. This interpretation is based on ''

The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir The ''Tale of the Princes of Vladimir'' (russian: Сказание о князьях Владимирских) is an early 16th-century Muscovite treatise which propounds the conception of Moscow as the Third Rome. It has been attributed either to ...

'', an early 16th-century treatise highlighting Ivan's illustrious and ancient pedigree. The icon was displayed next to the royal seat in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (the main church of the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...

). The original icon from the 1550s is now on display in the

Tretyakov Gallery The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...

. A smaller 16th-century copy, formerly set on the tomb of

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (''Сергей Александрович''; 11 May 1857 – 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor of All Russia, Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure ...

in the

Chudov Monastery The Chudov Monastery (russian: Чу́дов монасты́рь; more formally known as Alexius’ Archangel Michael Monastery) was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the mi ...

, has been preserved in the Moscow Kremlin museum.

Sources

{{commonscat, Blessed is the Host of the King of Heaven * Квливидзе Н. В. Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя // Православная энциклопедия. — М. — Т. 5. — С. 324—325. * Кочетков И. А. К истолкованию иконы «Церковь воинствующая»: («Благословенно воинство небесного царя») // Труды Отдела древнерусской литературы. — Л.: 1985. — Т. XXXVIII. — С. 185—209. * Морозов В. В. Икона «Благословенно воинство» как памятник публицистики XVI века // Государственные музеи Московского Кремля. Материалы и исследования. — М.: 1984. — В. 4: Произведения русского и зарубежного искусства XVI — начала XVIII века. — С. 17—31. Icons of the Tretyakov Gallery 1550s paintings 1552 in Russia Christianity in Kazan Angels in art Horses in art Paintings depicting Michael (archangel) War paintings

See also

Sources