Antimension of Sylvester Kosov, circa 1650
UHEC Patriarch Mstyslav Museum Permanent Collection
While most antimensia have some variant of the icon depicting the Deposition in the Tomb, this antimension is quite unusual in that its central image is derived from the icon form known as Extreme Humility or Man of Sorrows, for which there is some precedent in Greek antimensia. Here, it is rendered as a beautiful Baroque woodcut.
It is entirely possible that one of the woodcut artists who created the images in Petro Mohyla's 1646 Trebnyk was also responsible for this print.
Text transcription
Б[о]ж[ес]твенный и с[вя]щенный олтаръ Г[оспод]а Б[ог]а и Сп[а]са н[а]шегѡ ИІ[су]са Х[рист]а, ѡс[вя]щен бл[а]г[ода]тію Все[свя]та[го] и житвотворяща[го] д[у]ха: рукодѣстве[н] же й бл[агосло]вен преѡс[вя]щен[н]ым Г[о]спо]д[и]но[мъ] ѡ[т]це[м] Си[л]вестро[м] Косово[м] Правосла[вним] архі[е]п[иско]пом Митрополито[м] Кіе[вскым] Гали[ц]ки[м] и всея Рѡссіи Еѯа[р]хою с[вя]тѣйша[го] Ап[осто]лскагѡ Ѳрѡну Кѡ[н]ста[н]тінопо[л]скогѡ да Лѵтургисается на немъ в Храмѣ [...] Сеже бы[стъ] за Де[р]жавы На[и]яснѣша[го] Коро[ля] По[лского] Іѡа[н]на Казимера: в лѣ[то]: ѿ вопло[щенію] X[рист]a 16[?] М[ѣсяца] […] [additional illegible handwritten text]Text translation
The Holy and Sanctified Altar of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, sanctified by the grace of the All-holy and Life-creating Spirit. By the hand and blessing of the Most Holy Master Father Sylvester Kosov, Orthodox Archbishop [and] Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych, and all Rus', exarch of the most holy Apostolic Throne of Constantinople. For the serving of the Liturgy in the temple [...]. This being under the rule of the Most Glorious King of Poland John Casimir in the year 16[?] from the Incarnation of Christ in the month [...] [additional illegible handwritten text]View this antimension in its historical context
