View source for Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven

{{Short description|Russian Orthodox icon}}
{{italic title}}
[[File:Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven… - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|400px|''Ecclesia militans'', one of the largest icons in existence]]
'''''Blessed Be the Host of the Heavenly Tsar''''' ({{langx|ru|Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя}}), also known as the '''''[[Church militant and church triumphant|Ecclesia militans]]''''' ("The Church Militant"), is a grand [[Russian Orthodox]] [[icon (religion)|icon]] commemorating the [[conquest of Kazan]] by [[Ivan IV of Russia]] (1552). 

Measuring almost four meters in width, ''Ecclesia militans'' is one of the largest icons ever produced in medieval [[Russia]]. It has been attributed to Ivan's confessor Andrew (later known as [[Athanasius, Metropolitan of Moscow]]).

The icon shows Ivan the Terrible as he follows the [[Archangel Michael]] in leading the triumphant Russian troops away from the conquered city in flames (symbolising both [[Kazan]] and [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodom]]). In the top left corner of the icon the Mother of God with the infant Jesus is shown seated outside the heavenly gate of [[Jerusalem]] (symbolising the city of [[Moscow]]) and distributing crowns to messenger angels who proceed to reward the martyrs of Ivan's army.

This unusually sophisticated iconography has generated a plethora of interpretations. It is often assumed that the Tsar is followed by his ancestors such as [[Dmitry Donskoy]] and other [[Grand Prince of Vladimir|Grand Princes of Vladimir]]. This interpretation is based on ''[[The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir]]'', an early 16th-century treatise highlighting Ivan's illustrious and ancient pedigree. The icon was displayed next to the royal seat in the [[Dormition Cathedral, Moscow|Dormition Cathedral]] of the [[Moscow Kremlin]] (the main church of the [[Tsardom of Russia]]).

The original icon from the 1550s is now on display in the [[Tretyakov Gallery]]. A smaller 16th-century copy, formerly set on the tomb of [[Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich]] in the [[Chudov Monastery]], has been preserved in the Moscow Kremlin museum.

== See also ==
* [[Saint Basil's Cathedral]] - another monument to Ivan's conquest of Kazan, also illustrating the idea of a heavenly Jerusalem
* [[Battle of the Novgorodians with the Suzdalians]] - another military subject of [[Russian icons]]

== Sources ==
{{commonscat|Blessed is the Host of the King of Heaven}}
* Квливидзе Н. В. Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя // Православная энциклопедия. — М. — Т. 5. — С. 324—325.
* Кочетков И. А. К истолкованию иконы «Церковь воинствующая»: («Благословенно воинство небесного царя») // Труды Отдела древнерусской литературы. — Л.: 1985. — Т. XXXVIII. — С. 185—209.
* Морозов В. В. Икона «Благословенно воинство» как памятник публицистики XVI века // Государственные музеи Московского Кремля. Материалы и исследования. — М.: 1984. — В. 4: Произведения русского и зарубежного искусства XVI — начала XVIII века. — С. 17—31.

[[Category:Icons in the Tretyakov Gallery]]
[[Category:1550s paintings]]
[[Category:1552 in Russia]]
[[Category:Christianity in Kazan]]
[[Category:Angels in art]]
[[Category:Horses in art]]
[[Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)]]
[[Category:War paintings]]