St Savva of Serbia

This 15th–16th-cc. icon shows St Savva of Serbia as an ascetic elder whose calm presence signals monastic authority. As the first Serbian archbishop, he built close ties with Rus’, exchanging envoys, relics, and liturgical models that linked the two Orthodox communities. His inclusion in the tsars’ private chapel reflects this sense of shared sanctity. The icon emphasizes disciplined devotion and the ideal of Orthodox unity.