Venerable (Monastic)12th century

Venerable Alypios the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves

died 1114

Also known as Alypius · Alipy

One of the earliest and most famed iconographers of the Kiev Caves, who learned from Greek masters and painted icons as a monastic labor.

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Life

Alypios of the Kiev Near Caves was one of the earliest and most accomplished iconographers of Kievan Rus, often described as the first icon painter of the region. A monk of the Kiev Caves Monastery, he learned his craft from the Greek masters who came from Constantinople to decorate the monastery's church, and he practiced iconography as a form of monastic labor.

He received monastic tonsure from Igoumen Nikon (died 1088), was later ordained a hieromonk, and from his youth devoted himself to ascetic work within the monastery. He painted icons without seeking payment, dividing any money he did receive between art supplies, charity to the poor, and his own sustenance, and interrupted his work only to attend the Divine Services. He reposed in 1114 and was buried in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide

TroparionTone 8

Depicting the faces of the Saints on boards as a skillful artist,
you wrote their good deeds diligently on the tablets of your heart,
and therefore, like an icon, you were beautifully adorned with the grace of the priesthood as with a golden oklad,
by Christ God, the Savior of our souls, O Alypios praised by all.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

From a young age, you strove toward God,
and you were given over to the study of iconography,
and when you painted the heavenly church of the Theotokos,
and contributed to its adornment,
you beheld the radiance of the Holy Spirit and received the power to work miracles;
therefore, since your icons are miraculous, we honor and glorify you, O wondrous Alypios.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

before 1088Monastic tonsureAlypios received monastic tonsure from Igoumen Nikon, who died in 1088, and was later ordained a hieromonk.
1083Studied under the Greek mastersBy tradition, Alypios learned iconography from the Greek masters who painted the church of the Kiev Caves in 1083.
1113-1125Vladimir-Rostov Icon installed at RostovHis Vladimir-Rostov Icon of the Dormition was, according to the sources, installed by Prince Vladimir Monomakh in a church at Rostov during his reign.
1114ReposeAlypios reposed in 1114 and was buried in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Contributions & Legacy

4 contributionsReadHide

Life and Monastic Labor

Alypios entered the Kiev Caves Monastery and received monastic tonsure from Igoumen Nikon, who died in 1088; he was subsequently ordained a hieromonk. From his youth he gave himself to labor within the monastery, and according to the tradition he learned iconography from the Greek masters who painted the church of the Caves in 1083.

He maintained a distinctive discipline regarding payment. He painted icons without asking for compensation, and when clients did pay him he reportedly allocated the money in three parts: one portion for materials, one for charity to the poor, and the remainder for his own needs. The sources relate that he interrupted his iconography only to attend the Divine Services.

Works

Alypios is credited with the Sven-Caves Icon of the Mother of God and the Vladimir-Rostov Icon depicting the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which Prince Vladimir Monomakh (who reigned 1113-1125) is said to have installed in a church at Rostov. Medieval sources also associate him with mosaic work in the Dormition Cathedral and with murals at St. Michael's Cathedral in Kiev.

One surviving icon attributed to him, the Sven Icon of the Theotokos, is preserved in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Miracles and Traditions

Traditional accounts attribute several wonders to Alypios. The synaxarion relates that he healed a man from Kiev who suffered from leprosy by anointing the patient's wounds with his paints. In another account, two monks received commissioned boards but failed to inform Alypios; when the church patron checked, beautiful icons had already been painted on them, and when that church later burned, the icons remained intact.

According to the tradition, he himself witnessed a supernatural event while the Greek artisans worked: as the iconographers adorned the altar, an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos imprinted itself on the wall and shone brighter than the sun. During his final illness, it is said that an angel painted an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and then received his soul.

A later account records that when his body was discovered, the fingers of his right hand were still formed in the manner of making the Sign of the Cross.

Relics and Shrines

Alypios was buried in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where his relics remain. The Near Caves trace their origin to the cave system associated with the monk Anthony, who settled near the site around 1057.

Member ofReadHide

Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves

Commemorated together · Sep 28

Companions2 figuresShowHide

Fellow iconographer; a contemporary monk-painter of the same Kiev Near Caves community.

Venerable Gregorythe Iconographer of the Kiev Caves

The Greek masters alongside whom he adorned the great church of the Caves.

Twelve Greek Master-Buildersof the Kiev Caves

Related Saints2 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Founder; co-founder of the Kiev Caves Lavra where Alypios took up his iconography as a monastic labor.

Anthonyof the Kyiv Caves

Founder; co-founder and organizer of the Lavra's cenobitic life.

Theodosiusof the Kyiv Caves

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints