Image Details

State Open-Air Museum of History and Architecture Novgorodian Kremlin/HIP/Art Resource, NY

DIVERTING A DELUGE. According to legend, the priest Archippus pleads to divert the waters of the Lycus River to save the Christian people of Colossae from a nefarious plot to flood the city and kill its inhabitants. In response, the archangel Michael drives his spear into the ground and steers the river beneath its surface—thereby delivering the Colossians. This 15th-century icon is part of the collection of the Museum of History and Architecture in Novgorod, Russia.