SHRINE OF ST TSAREVICH DMITRY

The younger son of Ivan IV, Tsarevich Dmitry, who died at the age of nine in Uglich in 1591, is also buried at the Archangel Cathedral. In the reign of Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky he was canonized, that is consecrated a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church as innocently murdered: according to one version, the tsarevich was murdered by people sent by the courtier Boris Godunov.

Since 1606 the shrine with the holy relics of Tsarevich Dmitry has been located by the south-eastern pillar of the cathedral. In 1628 a new silver shrine was cast on the order of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov. The works were supervised by Gavrila Ovdokimov. Only the lid which is now on display in the Armoury has remained from the 17th century shrine. In the centre of it there is a relief image of tsarevich in full dress and tsar's crown with his hands crossed on his chest. Small round medallions on the borders of the lid bear half-length figures of saints, holy patrons of the tsar and his family.

The shrine has a white-stone carved canopy over it. The cast bronze open-work grating borders it from three sides; unicorn figures are intertwined with the stylized vines. According to Christian symbolics, the unicorn means both purity and innocence, and nobility.

Saint Tsarevich Dmitry was venerated as a protector and defender of the Romanov family and the whole Russian state. In the early 17th century, a big icon image of the tsarevich in richly decorated silver gilt framework was painted. Its iconography dates back to the so-called patron icons of Russian sovereigns, which presented the patron saint praying, and a blessing hand of God in the top corner. After the ruler's death the patron icon was placed over his tomb in an icon-case.