Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting art studio

It has been 15 years since the opening of the icon painting art studio in Tsarskoye Selo. The beginning of her career was blessed by the loss of Gennady (Zverev). With his support and patronage, the necessary conditions were created for the successful development of the workshop. The help of S. I. Golubev, a leading specialist in the field of icon restoration and head of the Department of restoration of Ancient Russian paintings at the Russian Museum, proved invaluable. Galina Mayorova headed the workshop all these years. Over the course of 15 years, the art studio has completed a number of works for churches in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. The icons created in the art studio adorn the interior of St. Sophia Cathedral, the iconostases of the churches of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Alexandrovka (1997-1998) and at the Krasnenky Cemetery in St. Petersburg (2002-2003), the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga at the Railway Hospital (2002), the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Boris and Gleb in Agalatovo (2003), the cave temple St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Feodorov State Cathedral Pushkin (1999-2005), St. Xenia of St. Petersburg Church in Rostock (Germany, 2003). The art studio recreated a large five-tiered iconostasis St. Theodore’s Cathedral in Pushkin (2006-2008). Another activity of the workshop is the design of temples, the artistic decoration of their interiors, which includes specially designed iconographic programs of murals with their subsequent execution. The tasks of such a plan are always solved by the workshop in a comprehensive manner, while taking into account Mayorova Galina. 

Galina Mayorova

Galina Mayorova is the head of the Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Art Studio, an artist, restorer, iconographer, teacher, and public figure. Her wide range of activities ranges from scientific research projects, diverse social activities to painting creative icons and paintings, painting temples, restoring wall paintings and easel paintings. Galina Mayorova was born on February 15, 1961 in Leningrad. After graduating from secondary specialized school No. 190, she entered the Leningrad Higher Art College named after V. Mukhina (now Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design) to the faculty of Interior Design, Exhibitions and Advertising. After graduation, she worked as an artist in the design company “Energomashproekt”. After working out the required three years, she began designing interiors, creating paintings, designed curtains and special theater curtains with batik. She started making monumental themed wall paintings in St. Petersburg clubs. Painted the side walls of the houses. Dozens of paintings have been painted, which participated in exhibitions in Russia and abroad (Canada). In 1985, Galina came to the bosom of the Church and a new stage in her work began. She began to creat paintings on religious themes, many of which are now in private collections. Meeting with the priest fr. Nikolai Mochalkin, who became her confessor, determined the further vector of her creative activity. She enrolled in an icon painting class. at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary, where she fatefully met teacher Sergei Golubev. Department of Restoration of Ancient Russian paintings at the State Russian Museum. After graduating from the Icon Painting School, working under the guidance of Sergei Golubev, she painted a number of icons and iconostases in St. Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo and Leningrad region. In 1995, Galina Mayorova began working at the Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Art Studio, in which she is the head.

Having begun work on the painting of two historical iconostases in the Fedorovsky Sovereign Cathedral and occupying a workshop space in the Rozovaya building the chambers of the Fedorovsky town, Galina discovers a new page in her work. She started doing research work. The found archival materials on Fedorovsky gorodok determined her further social activities. She is together with fr.Nikolai (Mochalkin) began to organize exhibitions, hold conferences, read reports, Galina becomes a follower of the ideas of the “Society for the Revival of Artistic Russia”, which worked in the town at the beginning of the 20th century. The collection of materials for the restoration of the Fedorovsky town in Tsarskoye Selo has begun. Photofixation was made, copies of the remaining frescoes, remnants of paintings were preserved, cartograms were taken, archival materials were collected — all this formed the basis for the reconstruction of the Fedorovsky Gorodok complex. The Fedorovsky Gorodok Museum was opened, exhibitions were held, and publishing activities began. Together with fr.Nikolai she published an album about the town. In 2014, Galina Mayorova, as the author and head of the Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Workshop, made a sketch design and life-size cardboard the size of all the recreated murals of the Fedorovsky town, which has now begun to be restored. The recreation of mythological and poetic images of the Russian people in the murals of the town shaped Galina’s creative worldview. The work on recreating the facades of the Hut House in Talashkino, Smolensk region, inspired Galina to restore the lost painting of Nicholas Roerich in the Church of the Holy Spirit. The collected materials and sketches of Nicholas Roerich himself formed the basis for the color reconstruction of his painting of the altar and arches of this church. The results of the work were presented at the 2024 exhibition in Tsarskoye Selo, as well as at the Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family in St. Petersburg. The Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Art Studio has an icon painting class and a children’s studio, Zhar Ptitsa, under the direction of Galina. Galina has been awarded badges and medals from the Russian Orthodox Church and is a nominee for the 2014 National Cultural Heritage Award. Several hundred icons of Galina Mayorova and those painted under her supervision by the staff of the Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Workshop adorn churches in Russia., Foreign countries and private collections. Dozens of multi-tiered iconostases have been recreated and painted for churches and monasteries in St. Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo and the Leningrad Region. The iconostasis of the Kazan Temple in Avtovo in St. Petersburg, the Feodorovsky Sovereign and Catherine Cathedrals in Tsarskoye Selo, The iconostasis in the church of St. Boris and Gleb in the village of Agalatovo, Leningrad region, delights parishioners with its paintings. Dozens of churches in Russia have been painted. The murals in four temples and two hermitages of the Konev Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery on the island of Konevets have been completely recreated. Sketches were made and cartons were made to recreate paintings in the Fedorovsky town of Tsarskoye Selo. The picturesque interior of Challe in the Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve has been recreated. 

  The Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting art studio: Reviving Shrines Through the Canons of Tradition

  In a world where time is relentless and modern materials often replace traditional techniques, sanctuaries that preserve and convey authentic art become especially valuable. One such center of living heritage is the Tsarskoye Selo Icon Painting Art Studio. Known not only for creating new images but also for meticulous scientific restoration work, the art studio is now one of Christian’s leading experts in restoring temple interiors. The workshop’s restoration projects always involve a comprehensive and in-depth approach. Specialists do not simply “refresh” paintings or renovate icons, but conduct extensive research, in an effort to restore the monument’s historical appearance and spiritual expressiveness. 

The work is carried out in several stages: 

1. Scientific Research. Archival documents and photographs are studied, and chemical analyses of paint layers and primers are conducted. This allows to determine the original color palette, the artist’s style, and the sequence of later additions to be determined. 

2. Conservation. The main task is to stop the processes of destruction: strengthening the base (walls, panels), gesso ground and paint layer; preventing crumbling; and stabilizing the microclimate. 

3. Cleaning. This is the meticulous work to remove later layers (dust, soot, darkened varnish, crude overpainting) to reveal the original artist’s original painting. Masters use scalpels and microscopes, working with extreme caution. 

4. Restoration of Losses. Where the original painting has been irretrievably lost, toning or reconstruction is carried out, strictly corresponding in style and technique to the historical original. All interventions are reversible and thoroughly documented. 

5. Preventive Care. Recommendations are provided for future care and maintaining optimal conditions to preserve the monument. The distinctive feature of the Tsarskoye Selo Art Studio’s approach lies in the synthesis of academic knowledge, traditional technologies, and a deep understanding of the iconographic canon. Icon painters and restorers work with the same materials as the ancient masters: natural pigments prepared with egg tempera or lacquer composition, and gold leaf gilding. This ensures not only historical authenticity but also the longevity of the result.