Cursed Icons: Sacred Art of Russian Old Believers

Social unrest in seventeenth-century Russia, followed by a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church, resulted in the emergence of many religious groups. Schismatics called Rakolniks, fleeing persecution, emigrated to the farthest corners of the Russian Empire and beyond its borders, including Prussia, Poland, Romania, and even Alaska. Living in isolation, in small communities, Raskolniks created their own separate culture, traditions, and art. The history of the "defenders of the old faith" is full of mysteries and fascinates us with the dissimilarity and loneliness of people who decided to live according to their own rules, away from society and the Church. Often deprived of religious leaders, they were left to cultivate their own traditions. Isolation from the mainstream religious Orthodoxy also became the reason for cultivating the tradition of iconic art, although in the form of sacral metalwork, unique for Orthodoxy. Produced in different local communities metal icons replaced traditional icons painted on a wooden board. The form and size of metal icons allowed for constant contact of the faithful with the holy image. For them, metal art - those cursed icons - was "a secret weapon, thanks to which the old Russian faith would never die". Due to the high durability of metal objects, the sacred art of the Old Believers has survived to this day and is in the collections of many museums around the world. However, a full understanding of this art requires still extensive research.