Royal doors occupy a position in the center of the iconostasis, and they play an active role during Liturgy: they are opened during the key moments, such as when the priest bears the holy gifts of the Eucharist, presenting them to the congregation. Only clergy are permitted to enter the doors. In a large cathedral, the doors would soar above the priest’s head, but in a smaller church, the doors may only partially cover the doorway; these, for example, may fall into that category as they do not reach the full height of an adult male. Many Royal doors have a cross at the top. Here, the carved shape of the upper arch and the carved spirals probably reflect the overall decorative scheme of the church.

This set of royal doors bears the typical iconography: the annunciation at the top, with Archangel Gabriel (left) appearing to Mary (right), and the four Evangelists shown at the moment of divine inspiration they experienced when writing their Gospels. The Evangelists are depicted with their symbols. The door on the left depicts John with a lion and Luke with an ox; that on the right shows Matthew with a man, and Mark with an eagle.

The scenes on these doors offer excellent examples of so-called “reverse” or Byzantine perspective. Byzantine perspective is the opposite of the more familiar linear perspective, in which lines recede into space, converging at a vanishing point, so objects farther away appear smaller. In “reverse” perspective, the lines converge toward the viewer, so that objects farther away appear larger. The tables and footstools in the Evangelists’ scenes illustrate this perfectly. This approach to perspective is not “primitive” or “incorrect,” but rather is used deliberately to make the viewer feel like part of the scene.

Doors of this age in their original condition are extremely rare; this is one of the few museum quality sets that exists outside of Russia.