Anna of Kashin Orthodox Icon

Anna of Kashin Orthodox Icon

Anna of Kashin Orthodox Icon is a hand-painted full-length image of Saint Anna of Kashin, the right-believing Grand Princess of Tver who received the Great Schema near the end of her life. Her icon is strict, quiet, and deeply consoling, reflecting a saint who passed through severe grief and answered it with prayer, endurance, and monastic humility.

Saint Anna is shown frontally, in the garments of a great schema-nun. She wears an ocher robe, a dark burgundy mantle, and a long emerald-green analav and hood marked with the Golgotha Cross. In her left hand she holds white monastic prayer beads. The warm ocher-golden background, olive ground, terracotta fields, gold leaf halo, and inner gold frame create a calm and prayerful atmosphere.

Available sizes: 13×25 cm (5.1×9.8 in), 18×31 cm (7.1×12.2 in), and 30×50 cm (11.8×19.7 in). Larger church and iconostasis sizes may be discussed individually.

Full-Length Image in the Great Schema

Saint Anna is shown in a full-length vertical composition. The elongated format suits the image of one standing saint and gives the figure a sense of spiritual upwardness. Her face is painted with calmness, wisdom, and hidden sorrow, without princely pride or outward display.

Although Anna was a grand princess, the icon does not show her in royal robes or a crown. She is shown as a schema-nun because monastic life became the final and deepest expression of her spiritual path. The dark mantle symbolizes renunciation of worldly vanity, while the green analav and hood identify the Great Schema.

The Golgotha Cross on the analav, together with the instruments of the Passion and prayer inscriptions, points to the monastic calling to bear one’s cross and be crucified to the world with Christ.

Prayer Beads, Colors, and Sacred Space

Saint Anna’s right hand is placed near her chest in a gesture of heartfelt prayer, humility, and acceptance of God’s will. In her lowered left hand she holds white monastic prayer beads. In Orthodox monastic tradition, prayer beads are a tool for the Jesus Prayer and are sometimes called a spiritual sword.

The icon’s color palette is built on contrast between warm fields and strict monastic garments. The ocher-golden background suggests the heavenly light of the icon. The olive ground beneath her feet is quiet and restrained. The terracotta fields are separated from the central image by a thin gold frame.

The gold leaf halo, made with 23K gold leaf (960 purity), is outlined by a fine red border. This concentrates attention on the face of the saint and gives the image a clear sacred center.

Life of Saint Anna of Kashin

Saint Anna was born near the end of the thirteenth century and became the wife of Prince Michael of Tver. Her life unfolded during a time of Mongol-Tatar rule and painful conflicts among Russian principalities.

Her life was marked by deep losses. Her husband, Prince Michael, was killed in the Horde in 1318 and was later glorified by the Church. Her son Dmitry was killed in 1325, and in 1339 her son Alexander and grandson Theodore were also executed. The principality of Tver suffered devastation during these years.

After losing her husband, children, and grandson, Anna did not fall into despair. She withdrew from worldly life, received monastic tonsure with the name Sophia, and later received the Great Schema with the name Anna. She spent her final years in the Dormition Monastery in Kashin, becoming a prayerful intercessor for her family, her people, and all who suffer loss.

Restoration of Her Veneration

Saint Anna of Kashin has a rare place in Russian Church history. Her relics were found incorrupt in 1649, and her veneration spread widely. During the church schism of the seventeenth century, however, her veneration was officially suppressed because the position of the fingers of her relics became part of a polemical dispute.

More than two centuries later, after continued reverence and reports of help through her prayers, her official Church veneration was restored in 1909. This history makes Saint Anna’s image especially meaningful as a witness to patience, endurance, and the quiet triumph of prayer over historical injustice.

What People Pray For Before Saint Anna

Orthodox Christians ask Saint Anna of Kashin for her prayerful intercession in family grief, widowhood, loss, conflict, and heavy trials. The icon is not an amulet and does not guarantee a particular result. Prayer before an icon is prayer to God, with the saint depicted asked to intercede.

• For peace and stability in family life
• For consolation after the loss of a spouse, child, parent, or loved one
• For patience and spiritual strength in trials
• For widows, orphans, and those carrying loneliness or grief
• For protection from quarrels, family division, and destructive conflict
• For humility, endurance, and trust in God’s providence

Materials and Painting Technique

The icon is painted by hand in the Mstyora tradition on a solid linden board with a carved kovcheg and inset oak splines. The board is covered with cloth and natural chalk gesso, then carefully prepared for painting.

The image is painted with mineral egg tempera, a traditional Orthodox icon-painting medium that gives depth to the face, garments, green schema vestment, terracotta fields, and fine details of the Golgotha Cross. The halo and inner frame are gilded with 23K gold leaf (960 purity).

After painting, the icon is finished with linseed oil and protective varnish. Because each icon is painted by hand, small differences in the terracotta fields, garment folds, or gold details are natural.

Materials and Characteristics

Name	Anna of Kashin Orthodox Icon
Saint depicted	Saint Anna of Kashin, right-believing Grand Princess and schema-nun
Iconographic type	Full-length frontal image in the garments of the Great Schema
Painting style	Academic Orthodox icon painting with canonical elements
Board	Solid linden board with kovcheg and oak splines
Ground	Cloth and chalk gesso
Painting medium	Mineral egg tempera
Gilding	23K gold leaf (960 purity) on the halo and inner frame
Background	Ocher-golden background, olive ground, terracotta fields
Available sizes	13×25 cm (5.1×9.8 in), 18×31 cm (7.1×12.2 in), 30×50 cm (11.8×19.7 in)

For Whom This Icon Is Suitable

This icon is especially suitable as a name-saint icon for women and girls named Anna. It may be given for Baptism, name day, birthday, anniversary, or another important family occasion.

It is also a meaningful icon for mothers, grandmothers, widows, and families passing through grief or conflict. Saint Anna’s life makes her image especially consoling for those who need patience, prayer, and spiritual strength in difficult circumstances.

Care and Blessing

The icon may be blessed before shipping if requested, or after receiving it at your own parish church. Keep the icon away from moisture, direct sunlight, radiators, humidifiers, and sudden temperature changes.

Dust should be removed only with a dry soft cloth or dry soft brush, without pressure. Do not use wet wipes, water, or household cleaners, especially on the gold leaf halo, inner frame, and painted surface.

Ordering and Shipping

The icon can be painted in the listed sizes or in larger church and iconostasis formats by individual agreement. Free international shipping is included. Payment is made after you receive and approve the icon.

FAQ

Why is Saint Anna shown in monastic garments instead of royal clothing?

Near the end of her life, after many losses, Grand Princess Anna received monastic tonsure and later the Great Schema. The icon shows her as a schema-nun.

What is the green garment with the cross?

It is the hood and analav of the Great Schema, marked with the Golgotha Cross and symbols of the Passion of Christ.

What does Saint Anna hold in her hand?

She holds white monastic prayer beads, used for continual prayer and inner spiritual attention.

Why are the proportions of the icon so narrow and tall?

The elongated formats are well suited to a full-length image of one standing saint and help the figure fill the board harmoniously.

Was Saint Anna’s veneration once suppressed?

Yes. Her veneration was suppressed in the seventeenth century during church disputes and was officially restored in 1909.

What do people pray for before Saint Anna of Kashin?

People ask for family peace, consolation in grief, patience in trials, help for widows and orphans, and protection from quarrels and conflict.

What is a kovcheg on this icon?

A kovcheg is the recessed central field of the board, visually separating the sacred image from the outer fields.

What sizes are available?

The available sizes are 13×25 cm (5.1×9.8 in), 18×31 cm (7.1×12.2 in), and 30×50 cm (11.8×19.7 in).

What materials are used?

The icon is painted on a linden board with kovcheg, oak splines, cloth, chalk gesso, mineral egg tempera, 23K gold leaf, linseed oil, and protective varnish.

How should this hand-painted icon be cared for?

Keep it away from moisture, direct sunlight, and sudden temperature changes. Dust it only with a dry soft cloth or brush, without pressure.