Двустранната икона на ап. Андрей и Новозаветна Троица с Короноването на Богородица от Църковния музей в София
Double-sided Icon of St. Andrew the Apostle and the New Testament Trinity with the Coronation of the Virgin from the National Church Museum, Sofia

Summary/Abstract: This article examines a small double-sided icon from the National Church Museum of History and Archaeology of the Holy Synod, Sofia (Inv. No. 3538). The icon has not been specifically researched, and was dated by different authors to the period between the 14th and 16th century. Just recently it was noted, that it was brought in by Prof. Ivan Goshev in 1942 from the Church of St. Andrew at the gorge of the Treska River, Republic of North Macedonia. The analysis of historical sources and the icon’s artistic features showed that it most likely originated from the Hilandar monastery, where it was painted in two stages and from where it was taken to the Church of St. Andrew by a monk or pilgrim. The original icon with a half-length image of St. Andrew dates back to the last decades of the 16th century and was produced by an unknown painter, following the style of the Cretan masters, but with a unique signature. The same icon painter, again in the Hilandar monastery, painted another small icon depicting the image of St. Eutychius of Constantinople. The other side of the icon with the composition The New Testament Trinity with the Coronation of the Virgin was made by an icon painter from the atelier of Macarius of Galatista during the first decade of the 19th century. The icon from the Church Museum most likely performed the function of an icon for prayer in a monk’s cell, but today it is a testament to the connections between the Church of St. Andrew at the gorge of the Treska River and the Hilandar monastery. It is unknown for what reason the icon painters or donors chose to depict specifically St. Andrew the Apostle and the New Testament Trinity with the Coronation of the Virgin on the icon’s two sides, but it is certain that the commonality between both images is their presence in both orthodox and western art.

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