9. The Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus

Details

Russian, second half 17th century
92.5 x 72 cms

Provenance:
Private collection, Germany.
Private collection, The Netherlands.

Literature:
Catalogue exhibition ‘Van een andere Wereld, onbekende ikonen en Byzantijnse kunst’, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium, 1997, p. 112, ill. 113.

F. and C. Tóth, ‘Russische iconen. De kunst van het verzamelen.’, Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 2009, p. 176, ill. 179.

Catalogue Tóth Ikonen 50 Years, Tóth Ikonen, Huizen, The Netherlands, 2024, p. 8 – 9, ill. p 8.

Exhibition:
‘Van een andere Wereld, onbekende ikonen en Byzantijnse kunst’, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium, 14th December 1997 – 1st March 1998.

Description:
Saints Florus (left) and Laurus (right) were twin brothers who lived in Illyria (former Yugoslavia) in the 2nd century. In the middle Archangel Michael stretches out his hands in blessing towards them. According to a legend the saints have learned the art of horsemanship directly from Archangel Michael. They are therefore considered by the Orthodox Church to be the patron saints of cattle and horses, but originally they were stone masons and architects.

The brothers were commissioned to build a pagan temple. During the construction a splinter of stone flew into the eye of the son of a pagan priest. Florus and Laurus prayed for his recovery and healed his eye by making the sign of the cross over his eye. When the construction of the temple was completed, the brothers gathered the Christians together, going through the temple, and they smashed the idols. The governor had them arrested for their efforts and buried Florus and Laurus alive in a dry well. According to the Russian version of their life, many years later inhabitants observed that horses were drinking water which flowed from a dried-up well at the exact spot where the brothers had been buried. Upon investigation the incorrupt relics of Florus and Laurus were found at the bottom of the well. The water from the well was celebrated for its power to heal horses.

The cult of Florus and Laurus became widespread in Russia. They were not only venerated as the patron saints of horses but also as healers. Their feast day is celebrated on the 18th of August, better known as the Horse Festival. At this day it was custom in rural Russia to bring the horses to a river or a lake. After a short service, the water was blessed by the priest, the horses bathed and given respite from their labours for the rest of the day.

Below we see the Cappadocian Grooms and horse doctors driving a herd of horses to a watering place. The brothers Spevsippos (the lookout for horses), Elevsippos (the horse-breaker), and Melevsippos (the catcher of black horses) were renowned for their skills in catching and taming horses.