The Arkhyz Savior A Rock-Wall Icon in Nizhnii Arkhyz, Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia)

The Arkhyz Savior, a.k.a. the Face of Christ, is a unique example of a rock-wall icon, presumably the oldest depiction of the Holy Face in Russia. It is located in Nizhnii Arkhyz, Karachay-Cherkessia. Its appearance is connected with the ancient capital of the Alan state, the city of Magas, the center of the Diocese of Alania, which existed here between the 9^th and 13^th centuries. The Arkhyz Jesus also displays a strong resemblance with the icon of Christ Pantocrator from the Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai - one of the first images of the early Christian Church. This paper discusses current theories and hypotheses, concerning the time of this icon’s creation, its authorship, and certain characteristics of isographic presentation. It argues that this icon may be related to Onomatodoxy (imiaslavie, 1907-1916), the major heresy in 20^th century Russian Orthodoxy associated with the Hieromonk Hylarion’s book, In the Caucasus Mountains. A Conversation of Two Hermit Elders about the Inner Union of Our Hearts with the Lord through the Jesus Prayer, or the Spiritual Activity of Contemporary Hermits, which was first published in this region in 1907.