Donskoy Monastery's Superb Frieze

[Barbara]

This assemblage of notables was originally from Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. However, it was saved from the destruction by the evil Communists and survived to the present in the Donskoy Monastery. Today being the Don Mother of God Icon Day, I thought I would post this wonderful example of sculpture. When I was visiting the Donskoy Monastery, it seems to me that the sculpture was placed next to one of the boundary fortification walls. I can see the exact place in my mind to this moment, but can't remember whether the wall was east or west, north or south. However, that was a long time ago ; the frieze could have been moved elsewhere on the premises.

Well worth a look. If a foreigner didn't know about it, he or she could easily miss it, as there is much else to see as well [ Patriarch Tikhon [Belavin]'s relics - said to be incorrupt ; the Summer and Winter Churches; the beautiful pre-revolutionary cemetery; the house where Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest, and the spot where his faithful servant Iakov was killed by 2 Bolshevik assassins trying for the Patriarch himself ]


St Sergius of Radonezh blessing St Dimitry Donskoy before the Battle of Kulikovo in the year 1380. This is considered by many Russians to be the country's most decisive battle in history. St Sergius' blessing resulted in a great victory for Prince Dimitry of Moscow, given the honorific name "Donskoy" due to the Don Mother of God Icon being taken to the exact location of the current Monastery and helping the Russian side to be victorious at Kulikovo Field.

Note the marvelous workmanship of the sculptor, A. Loganovsky, who created this evocative monument between 1847 and 1849.

Compare this majestic arrangement with even Church-related sculpture of the current era. There are good efforts, but the same talent seems to not exist any more. Souls of the artists are different today.

[jdigrande]

this is a very great set of sculptures/ the same thing should be done with new martyrs of Russia and their lives

[Barbara]

Yes, this high relief sculpture is so compelling that I can hardly stop gazing at it. There is something so perfect about how this frieze was done : the central figure, St Sergius, is so authoritative that just looking at him confidently raising the Icon in the air in blessing for this epic Battle of Kulikovo should inspire generations of men to wish they could become monastics. Prince Dmitry is humble yet powerful ; there is a Schemamonk or two behind St Sergius showing that the entire monastery brotherhood was involved here ; a woman possibly appears in the mix, but it is difficult to be sure from this angle. Maybe there is a very old guidebook to the 1st Christ the Savior Cathedral which would tell us !

All the fellow warriors to the right of Prince Dimitry display deep reverence for St Sergius, which sight is highly edifying for all following generations.

I looked up Alexander Loganovsky to find out more about this stellar figure. Apparently Tsar Nicholas I is in agreement with us, for out of the school of Russian sculptors trained in Italy [ there was no native Russian tradition of depicting statues, so the art had to be taught by the descendants of the ancient Romans ], the Tsar's favorite was Loganovsky. Indeed, Tsar Nicholas I kept a close eye on the sculptor's progress : this was how interested he was. So we see Tsar Nicholas I somehow having time amidst all his onerous duties to meet with St Feofil of the Kiev Caves [ see : http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewto ... 907#p69285 ] and to monitor the work of Loganovsky : a much more interesting character than he has been credit for.

Strangely, both Tsar Nicholas I and the grand sculptor reposed in 1855. So some of the work of Loganovsky was finished by others of the same school. Still, he was responsible for the creation of 33 out of 48 sculptural groups and 14 out of 20 medallions decorating the Cathedral. I have to check what happened to the others. It is such a Heavenly gift that this one, at least, was preserved through all the Communist depredations, including the - it's hard to write - destruction of Christ the Savior Cathedral itself.

Now -- as you pointed out on a previous thread, http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewto ... 14&t=11832
and I was going to write also before I remembered that -- it really requires a TRUE Tsar [ not a puppet-figurehead ] to order sculptures of the New Martyrs to be beautifully carved. Comparing, then, with Nicholas I's sponsorship of the group who apparently traveled to Italy to acquire experience in this new field, it would have to be a strong Tsar as Nicholas I was viewed as. Someone unafraid to oppose certain beliefs or traditions which may not be constructive [ sculpture seen as heretical by the clergy of his time ]. Similarly, in this era, a Tsar would have to be strong without being perceived as arrogant. Otherwise the dual opposition would be fierce from the Communist mentality and the more recent brainwashing about an imperative need for Russia as democracy in order to be seen by the world as 'modern', 'cool', 'with it'.

[jdigrande]

Barbara:

Are there other works by this great artist?

In many ways it is akin to but superior to another work of art from 50 years later (Rodin/ The Burghers of Calais).

Both of these works of art express dramatic historical events. Rodin did his sculptures in the round whereas the St. Sergius frieze is in high bas relief.

This form of sculpture is extremely powerful in that one is confronted by it whereas sculpture in the round although technically very difficult draws the person around the sculpture which in itself negates the spiritual aspect of it in that it lends itself to the intellectual study of the figures more than confrontation or prayerful contemplation.

The composition is genius and reflects the ikonographic composition of Orthodox ikons. This scene moves and yet remains frozen in time and eternity at the same time and that is the mark of a great work of art in bronze or stone.

The prohibition on sculpture inside churches (3D) was from the 7th Council according to Vladika and not the 6th Council.

Were there other sculptural friezes outside of the Donskoy Monastery or other places in Moscow?

I am amazed that the Communists did not destroy this in that it was a public sculpture of two great saints. Maybe this future holds similar friezes of the martyrdoms of the Orthodox surrounding the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow but that possibility awaits a true Tsar.

[Barbara]

Well, I had to study Rodin [ I typed "Rodina" - how funny : homeland in Russian ] in my Art History class and I have to say I have never cared for his work. That sculpture, The Burghers of Calais, is one of his most famous, but not familiar with it, I looked it up and have to say I don't remember that historical episode nor the sculpture itself. What a sad topic, and like you said, nowhere near as powerful and majestic as Loganovsky's St Sergius frieze.

What you said about the difference between a high bas relief and a freestanding sculptural group was right on target. I had not thought of that aspect. There is something SO elevating about the St Sergius figure and the entire group that is not replicated anywhere that I can think of offhand.

Yes, there 2 other marble friezes that apparently survived. These all are right inside the walls of the Donskoy, not outside, just so you can picture the location correctly.

One is "Melchizadek meets Abraham after he defeated King Chedorlaomer of Elam in the Battle of Siddim", done during the same 2 years :



And the other, also done in the same period, is "Triumphal entry of David into Jerusalem after killing Goliath"



This David one I feel indifferent about, though I must say that the figures are extremely realistic and lively ; the Abraham and Melchizadek sculpture I like better.

I am not sure what happened to the large number of other friezes and medallions created by A. Loganovsky. Maybe, like some other wonderful finds that were believed lost to Communist savagery, the Loganovsky sculptures will turn up in a storage closet or underground tunnel somewhere in the Moscow region !

What a great idea, to ring the Lubyanka with such friezes depicting the New Martyrs ! The answer from even the current Russian government should be : "Why not ?" - and the RF should arrange for it to be done by a talented student of sculpture who has the same ability to portray scenes in what you, JDiGrande, noted as the iconographic style that Loganovsky did so well.
Very good point.

PS I hope the Institutes of Religious Art throughout Russia are teaching the work of Alexander Loganovsky to their students.

[jdigrande]

I like the St. Sergius frieze the best.
One thing that stood out was that St. Sergius is erect, still and in such contrast to the other figures just like the relationship between hesychastic prayer of St. Sergius and the movement of battle that was to occur soon.

So the figures around St. Sergius move and swirl around the still, erect center of prayer which was the life of St. Sergius. I agree about the other two friezes. This contrast makes the frieze alive in such a wonderful way.

[Barbara]

By the way, I think I figured out that St Sergius is blessing St Dmitry with the Donskoy Mother of God Icon Herself, though the image is not very clear in the frieze.

It seems that these are the only 3 friezes which abide in the Donskoy. For some reason, the Bolsheviks allowed them to be saved and carted there, but the Donskoy itself was definitely 'abused' by the Communists in a terrible way. There was no favoritism toward this monastery.

Did Patriarch Tikhon request the sculptures to be rescued and that's why the Bolshevils - funny that I typed that with the word "evils" mixed with the beginning of Bolsheviks - permitted the Loganovsky works to be brought to Patriarch Tikhon's vicinity as a bargaining chip ?