 Click on image for closeup.
|
Enamel and Brass Portative (Traveler's) Icon of
Reverend Metropolitan Macarius.
Circa 1830, Russia. Macarius (1482
- January 12, 1563) was a notable Russian cleric, writer, and
icon-painter who served as the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia
from 1542 until 1563. In 1523, Metropolitan Daniel raised Macarius to
the rank of archimandrite (analogous to superior abbot) of a monastery
in Mozhaisk. There Macarius got acquainted with Vasili III. He was one
of a few clerics who supported Vasili III's divorce with Solomonia
Saburova and blessed his second marriage with Elena Glinskaya. In 1526,
Macarius was appointed Archbishop of Novgorod, where he conducted
pro-Muscovite policies. In 1541, Macarius and his companions finished
work on the first edition of their great work, the Grand Reading Menaion, a
compilation of lives of the Russian saints. Macarius was elected
Metropolitan on March 16, 1542. Upon becoming one of the closest
advisers of Ivan the Terrible, Macarius arranged his coronation on
January 16, 1547. During his Kazan campaign in 1552, Ivan the Terrible
left Macarius in Moscow to "protect the tsardom", which made him a
temporary head of state. In 1552 and 1554, Macarius completed the second
and third editions of the Grand Menaion. The painting of the Saint
Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Golden Chamber was carried out with
his assistance. He also took part in compiling the Chronicle of the
Beginning of Tsardom of Tsar and Grand Prince Ivan Vasiliyevich, i.e.,
an official chronicle of Ivan the Terrible's reign and the Regal Book,
an illuminated manuscript about Ivan's reign and policies. Metropolitan
Macarius died on January 12 of 1563 and was buried in the Cathedral of
the Dormition of the Moscow Kremlin. He was canonized by the Russian
Orthodox Church in 1988. Brass casting, enamel painting, cloth
backing. Shows minor wear. 2"x2¼". $400. [#MitrEn1] |