Saint Nicholas (1916)

Nicholas the Pleasant, Nicholas of Mirlikia was a Christian saint who, according to legend, lived in the first half of the 4th century. Nicholas among the Russian people is the most revered and beloved saint. He was usually represented as a simple old man who wanders the earth with a staff and helps Russia.
This work was created on the basis of information about the appearance of Nikola in Russia and at the same time, of course, relies on well-known written sources about the ancient miracles of the saint. The legends mention the church of St. Nicholas and the city behind it. Saint Nicholas himself often appeared near this temple. In the Roerich landscape, both the church and the city are not on the land of Antioch; Russia is immediately recognizable in it - a high hill on which the white-stone Russian city of Vladimir with the Dmitrievsky Cathedral was erected, surrounded by a fortress wall.
As a behest to all believers, the words of Nikola have remained in the memory of generations, which, presumably, the artist wanted to remind his compatriots: “If you want to be healthy, go to my church” (Miracles of Nikola of Mirlikisky). It is no accident that the author places the temple as a symbol of salvation in the center of the picture.