Blessing of Sergius of Radonezh and Dmitry Donskoy at the Battle of Kulikovo

This 1897 work on paper depicts the legendary blessing given by Sergius of Radonezh to Prince Dmitry Donskoy before the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 — the engagement in which Russian forces defeated the Mongol-Tatar Golden Horde, a victory that became a foundational moment in Russian national consciousness and the beginning of the process that would eventually end Tatar overlordship. Sergius of Radonezh, Russia's most revered medieval saint and the founder of the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery, blessed Donskoy's army and sent two of his monks to fight alongside the Russian forces. Nesterov treated Sergius as one of his central subjects throughout his career, painting multiple episodes from the saint's life and seeing in him the ideal of Russian spirituality — contemplative, humble, and capable of decisive action when the nation required it. The paper support and the 1897 date place this work among the preparatory or smaller-scale works Nesterov produced alongside his major canvases.

Working on paper rather than canvas allows Nesterov a different quality of handling — more immediate and fluid than his large-scale oil compositions. The subject requires the representation of both figures in their historical roles: Sergius in his monastic habit, Donskoy in military dress, their encounter framed by the spiritual significance of the moment. The landscape of the Trinity Monastery would provide the appropriate sacred geography.