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Russian Iconostasis

Type Object Region Russia Time 1400

The Russian iconostasis (Иконостasis) is a multi-tiered wooden screen of icons separating the sanctuary from the congregation in Orthodox churches, a…

Timeline

  1. c. 1400–1550Moscow · MoscowMonastic churches in Moscow and surrounding areas adopted a five-tier iconostasis structure including the Royal Doors, the feast tier, and the prophet tier; icon painting followed Byzantine models and developed local saint sequences, with wooden frames growing increasingly elaborate.
  2. 1611–1620Moscow · MoscowDuring the Time of Troubles, iconostases in many churches were burned or looted; after the Romanov accession in 1613, Moscow and the New Jerusalem Monastery began restoring and building new gilded carved iconostases, restoring Orthodox visual order.
  3. c. 1650–1700Russia · RussiaAround the Nikon reforms, iconostasis woodcarving introduced denser foliate ornament, gilded silverwork, and Westernized proportions, absorbing Ukrainian and Polish Baroque elements while maintaining the Orthodox iconographic hierarchy.

Sources