Anna Manukian
The private cultural institution “The Museum of the Russian Icon”, Russia
The figurative cycle of the south door of the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral in Suzdal, created between 1227 and 1238, is usually perceived to be the cycle of angels. However, Old Testament scenes prevail in it numerically, so that the door might as well be considered a true digest of Biblical history. Due to a large number and variety of Old Testament episodes, the Suzdal cycle remains unique not only in the earliest, pre-Mongol, period of Old Rus’, but also throughout the entire Russian Middle Ages.
The iconography of particular scenes generally following Byzantine models is rather unconventional, as many details do not conform to orthodox Biblical narrative and have no parallels in Christian art of that time. Among them “Adam naming the animals”, “Cain killing Abel”, “Angel drowning Sodom and Gomorrah”, “Angels fortifying David for a battle with Goliath” deserve special attention.
The inclusion of some unusual scenes in the door iconographic program and inconsistency of its chronological order should also be explained. Thus, “The Fall of Satan” placed at the top of the door valve as if amid the Days of Creation opens the Genesis recital, and the naming of animals follows the expulsion of progenitors from the Paradise.
The deviations from the canonical Old Testament story might be caused by the need to highlight a certain symbolic interpretation of the well-known account of the Holy Scripture. Yet the iconographic anomalies might be inspired by literary works common in the pre-Mongol Rus’: apocrypha, chronicles, hagiography and hymnography.
With regard to many details, the Old Testament iconography of the south door cycle does not accord with the ‘official’ version of the Sacred history, reflecting a vigorous tradition of Biblical apocryphal writings of the early 13th century Rus’.