One of Moscow’s most venerated icons was the miraculous icon of Spas the All-Merciful, for which a chapel was built near the Moskvoretsky Bridge. The icon was kept there until 1920, and many believers visited the chapel to venerate it. In 1920, after the start of anti-religious campaigns, the chapel was closed, and the icon was sent to a firewood storage facility to be used as fuel for furnaces. However, compassionate individuals preserved the icon and did not allow it to be burned.

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky
The Chapel near the Moskvoretsky Bridge. Demolished in 1966

After almost 100 years, in 2016, Arbat Fine Art Gallery found and acquired the icon of Spas Moskvoretsky. At the time of its discovery, it was blackened and completely unrecognizable.

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

 

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

It took a lot of work to clean, restore, and attribute this miraculous image. The owner of the gallery, Andrey Kondrashov, managed to bring back to life one of Moscow’s most important sacred icons.

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky
Andrey Kondrashov and Spas Moskvoretsky

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

Thanks to a respected patron who covered all the expenses, the icon is now housed in Saint Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square. Anyone can see it and venerate the ancient image.

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

The Discovery of the Icon of Spas Moskvoretsky

The Icon of Spas the All-Merciful Moskvoretsky was painted in the 17th century. Its dimensions are 150 × 125 cm.