The city of Yaroslavl (Russian: Ярославль) is located on the Volga River, about 250 km northeast of Moscow. Along with other old Russian cities, Yaroslavl belongs to the so-called Golden Ring.
Founded in the 10th century, the city of Yaroslavl quickly developed into one of Russia's most important trading centres. Rich merchants and craftsmen built their villas here and donated many churches to the city. In the middle of the 17th century Yaroslavl was the second largest city in Russia after Moscow. However, towards the end of the 17th century Yaroslavl lost its importance as a trading city because the founding of St. Petersburg had created a large port on the Baltic Sea.
The Old Town of Yaroslavl has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.
The Prophet Elijah Church is located on the main square of the city of Yaroslavl. It was built in 1647. It has five domes and has a cross-domed structure with four pillars. The interior walls of the church are painted with scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah and from the Gospel. The frescoes are still original from the 17th century. In the central nave, the wall frescoes can be divided into six rows, the lowest of which is ornamentally decorated. The second and third rows depict scenes from the Old Testament, which are also dedicated to the prophets Elijah and Isaiah. Special are miracles such as rising from the dead and healing the sick.
In the Prophet Elijah Church there is one of the most beautiful iconostasis.
There are several representations of Mary in the iconostasis. As a collector of "Mariahilf images", this one particularly caught my eye.
Mary-Child Icon from the Elijah Church
for comparison the Mariahilf picture by Lucas Cranach