Pendant Cross Reliquary of Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

17th century

Geography

Murom, Russia

Culture

Tsardom of Rus'

Medium

Silver-gilt, Bone Fragments, and Glass.

Dimensions

3 1/16 x 2 9/16 x 5/16 in. (7.8 x 6.5 x 0.8 cm)

1.2 oz. (36.6 g)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.162

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris from Chris Martin-Zakheim (Iconastas) in London on May 5, 2004.

Condition

The object has minimal scratches and discoloration on the sides and the back. However, the piece is in great condition. 01/30/2025

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

The first inscription is written in Old Slavonic and the second and the second in 17th-19th c. Russian. "The honorable relics, moved by the holy spirt, and pours out tears in memory of Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom."

References

Christopher Martin-Zakheim and John Gaze, Iconastas Russian Fine Art and Antiques [2003 catalgue] (London: Iconastas, 2003), p. 5, nos. 1–2.

Brad Hostetler, with Ani Parnagian, "From Private to Public: The Collection of David P. Harris," in Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, eds. Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5–25. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

This Latin-style silver gilt cross ends in trefoils and has a suspension loop to be worn as a pendant. There are screws on each end so the pendant can be opened to reveal the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia. The front bears an engraved depiction of the crucifixion. On Christ’s halo are the Greek letters omega, omicron, and nu, which spell ὁ ὤν (J. Willson, “The ho Ôn (ὁ ὤν) Inscription in Christ’s Halo,” Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik 71 [2021]: 395–415). At Christ’s feet is the head of Adam. Above this is a circular window that is made to look like a halo as multiple lines appear to radiate from it. Within this window, one can see these saints' fragmented bones. On the inside of the pendant, there are nine compartments six of which hold a bone fragment. Each is held in place with a copper wire.

The back bears an inscription in eleven lines. The top five are written in Old Church Slavonic, while the bottom six lines are in Old Russian. The inscription mentions that this pendant holds the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia. Both inscriptions vary in font. The upper inscription appears to be carefully carved into the metal. In contrast, the lower lines have been chiseled in a different letterform. One can tell the differences in languages as the Russian word for prince (князя) is used instead of the old Slavonic word, кнѧзь. It is unclear why there are these differences in writing.

Saint Peter and Saint Fevronia are the Orthodox patron saints of marriage, family, and fidelity. They were canonized in the 16th century. Their feast day, July 8th, is celebrated across Orthodoxy. In 2008, the Russian parliament established their feast day as a holiday, a “Day of family, love, and fidelity," to further the celebration of Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia. For more information, see Nick Mayhew, “Petr and Fevronia’s unorthodox marriage,” Slavonic and East European Review 100, no. 4 (2022): 654–673.