Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven

Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven (Russian: Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя), also known in Soviet-era nomenclature as "The Church Militant" (Церковь воинствующая), is a grand Russian Orthodox icon commemorating the conquest of Kazan by Ivan IV of Russia (1552).

Measuring almost four meters in width, "Host of the King of Heaven" 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). 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…

摘自英文维基百科「Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven」（CC BY-SA 4.0），暂时没有中文条目。