Sfântul Ilie. Reprezentări iconografice din patrimoniul Muzeului Naţional al Ţăranului Român
Saint Elijah. Iconographic Representations in the Collection of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant

Summary/Abstract: An important figure of the Old Testament, Saint Elijah is one of the most commonly found characters in the peasants’ homes, being seen as their protector against torrential rains and hails. Although he is much loved by the villagers, the information about his life comes only from the Bible, that later has been taken into “Hermenia” and illustrated in church paintings, thus becoming part of the peasantry’s iconography. Regardless of whether these iconographic painters are anonymous or well-known, they translate, into clumsy or complex images, the person known in the village world as the one who fights against devils while driving his chariot with horses of fire and flogs the devils. The result of the craftsmen’s work were images that combine elements from the saint's life and adapts them to the economic and social reality of the painter’s period. This way, the icon becomes not only a holy object but also a testimony of the society in a given era.

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