Icon of the Elevation of the Cross of the Lord, the icon depicts St.Makarios, Patriarch of Jerusalem holding the Cross and St.Helen standing by his side. St. Helen is holding a plate with nails. The icon is encased in a massive parcel gilt silver repoussé oklad enriched with shaded cloisonne and champleve enamel, marked with 84 silver standard (875 silver), Moscow assay marks for 1908-1917 and master’s initials ‘AE’ for Alexei Egorov. 10 5/8 x 12 3/8 in. (27 x 31,5 cm)

After conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity, his mother Empress Helen traveled to Jerusalem in search of the True Cross of Christ. After a lengthy excavations in 326 A.D. the Holy Cross was finally found beneath the pagan temple of Venus. To house the relic of the True Cross, St. Helen had a church built over the Holy Sepulchre.

The icon shows St. Boris and St. Gleb in the upper left corner and St.Nicholas the Miracle Worker in the upper right corner.