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A Shocking Theft
The original twelfth-century Icon of the Sign, Novgorod.
‘Our Lady of the Sign’, the very same twelfth-century icon which was raised on the walls of Novgorod in 1170 (for that icon, see Sign of Deliverance). Today, the icon is kept in the Cathedral of St Sophia in Veliky Novgorod, inside a glass case. In Luka’s day, as many miraculous and therefore much-kissed icons do it had a protective metal cover on it, studded with jewels, an almost irresistible temptation to a thief who thinks he has an undisturbed night before him.
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‘Our Lady of the Sign’, the very same twelfth-century icon which was raised on the walls of Novgorod in 1170 (for that icon, see Sign of Deliverance). Today, the icon is kept in the Cathedral of St Sophia in Veliky Novgorod, inside a glass case. In Luka’s day, as many miraculous and therefore much-kissed icons do it had a protective metal cover on it, studded with jewels, an almost irresistible temptation to a thief who thinks he has an undisturbed night before him.
Introduction
The ‘Virgin of the Sign’ is a twelfth-century icon of the Virgin Mary kept to this day in Great Novgorod, Russia — the ‘sign’ refers to the promise made by the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz, that one day a virgin would conceive and bear a son. In 1170 the icon saved the city from a siege, and a special church was built for it, but it would seem that by the seventeenth century the mystique was beginning to wear off.
IN 1611, the historic city of Great Novgorod in northwest Russia had fallen briefly into the hands of the Swedes, and the occupying troops began systematically looting the city’s churches. When they came to the Church of the Sign, where there was a service in progress and the doors were wide open, to their utter bewilderment they found themselves quite unable to cross the unguarded threshold. Soon they gave it up as useless, and told their fellows, who did not trouble the little church again.
Twenty years later, with the city restored to liberty, Luka Plavilshchikov took it into his head to rob the same little stone church. It had been built to hold a miraculous icon that had once saved the city from disaster,* and indeed on that very day, November 27th, 1636, the people of Novgorod crammed into the little church to celebrate the anniversary of the city’s wonderful deliverance.* Luka joined them, and after evensong was over he remained behind in the church alone, and waited for night.
* See Sign of Deliverance. The icon shows the Virgin Mary at prayer with Christ as if in her womb, understood as the fulfilment of the sign of Emmanuel prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. It was kept in the then-wooden Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour on Ilyina Street for nearly two centuries, then in 1357 it was moved to its own dedicated stone church — the one mentioned in this story — just a few yards away. That was rebuilt as the Cathedral of The Virgin of the Sign (the Znamensky Cathedral) in 1682-88. The Icon of the Sign survived both Communist ideology and Nazi occupation, and since 1992 it has been displayed in the eleventh-century St Sophia Cathedral.
* November 27th (December 10th on the civil calendar) is the official feast commemorating the lifting of the siege of Novgorod in 1170. The events themselves took place in late February, but as that almost always falls within Great Lent, the celebrations were moved to the much less sober Nativity Fast that runs from November 15th to December 24th. Advent makes a particularly appropriate season to celebrate the Sign of Emmanuel, which is a prophecy of Christ’s birth.
* The story begins much as a story recorded by Reginald of Durham does, concerning an attempted burglary in Durham Cathedral, some 500 years before Luka’s disastrous night. By comparison with the wretched night spent by the thief in that tale, Luka got off lightly. See Cuthbert’s Box.
In 1636, a Russian thief attempted to rob a church in Novgorod. Twenty years earlier, a band of Swedish soldiers has tried to do the same, and been repulsed by some invisible force at the door. Luka did better: at any rate, he managed to get into the church, slipping in after evensong and settling down to wait for nightfall. (60 / 60 words)
In 1636, a Russian thief attempted to rob a church in Novgorod. Twenty years earlier, a band of Swedish soldiers has tried to do the same, and been repulsed by some invisible force at the door. Luka did better: at any rate, he managed to get into the church, slipping in after evensong and settling down to wait for nightfall.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, despite, not, or, unless, whereas, whether, who.
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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