In 1995, for the 75th anniversary of the parish of St. George, the parish commissioned a series of icons, 17 of which are now in place.

Across the rear wall of the church (top photo above), the icons depict the events before and after the Resurrection, including the Crucifixion and Pentecost. 

On the right or south side of the church, (middle photo above), they represent major feast days of Jesus Christ, including the Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, and Baptism.

On the opposite or north side, (lower photo above) the icons depict major events in the life of Mary, from her Nativity to her Dormition. They're displayed chronologically in the order of their celebration on the church calendar.  

Please continue below to find additional details and information of this 1995 Icon project. 

V. Rev. Andrew Tregubov, the pastor of Holy Resurrection Church in Claremont, New Hampshire, received the commission from St. George for this icon project.

Below is a biogrophy from Fr. Andrew's website:  https://www.tregubov-icons.com

Andrew Tregubov was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1951. Since his childhood he had been drawn to the images of ancient Christian art which he saw in museums and churches. As he grew older the mystical and philosophical aspects of Christian teaching revealed by this art became more and more the focus of his interest. Andrew and his wife Galina decided to emigrate to the West in 1974. They arrived in America in 1975, and the following year Andrew entered St. Vladimir's Theological Academy in Crestwood, New York. Academic studies truly became for Andrew a fulfillment of many years of his pilgrimage toward the Orthodox Church. At the same time his artistic pursuits focused firmly on iconography, the authentic form of Christian art that encompasses 2000 years of Christian history and is present in all ancient Christian cultures. At St. Vladimir's Seminary he had a wonderful opportunity to study with such famous teachers as professors Serge Verhovskoy, Veselin Kesich and John Erickson, V.Rev. John Meyendorf and V.Rev. Thomas Hopko, and most especially Protopresbiter Alexander Schmemann, a renowned international scholar and very prominent leader of the Orthodox Church in America. Studying theory and history of iconography at St. Vladimir's, Andrew began to convert his artistic skills to practical work in painting icons. In the absence of reputable schools of iconography in northern America, he had to gather the knowledge of different techniques and styles from a number of well-known professional iconographers of that time, especially Leonid Ouspensky, Maria Struve, and Elizabeth Osolin, all from Paris, France. Andrew was ordained into the priesthood of the Orthodox Church and was assigned a parish in Claremont, New Hampshire, in 1979. In the same year, on a trip to France, Fr. Andrew made a very important personal discovery of the works of a genius iconographer of the 20th century, Fr. Gregory Kroug. This discovery was a turning point in developing Fr. Andrew's individual style in traditional egg tempera iconography. In 1984 Fr. Andrew and Galina received a grant from the Russian Social Fund of Solzhenitsyn to make a comparative study of ecclesiastical arts in Orthodox communities in France and England. The result of this project was a big collection of slides made of the iconographic works of Gregory Kroug and a number of other contemporary masters of iconography. Upon his return from Europe, Fr. Andrew began to lecture on iconography before different audiences such as church communities, schools and universities around the US. In 1990 Fr. Andrew wrote a book The Light of Christ. Iconography of Gregory Kroug published by SVS Press. Since the late 70s Fr. Andrew, in addition to being a parish priest, has continually worked as a professional iconographer, receiving commissions from individuals and church communities all over the US. His larger projects include, among others, St. Nicholas Church in Norwich, CT; Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Church in Cincinnati, OH; All Saints of America Mission in Salisbury CT; New Skete Monastery in Cambridge, NY; St. Gregory of Nissa Church in Wappingers Falls, NY; St. George Church in Trumbull, CT; Christ the Savior in Woodbury, CT; SS. Cyril and Methodius Church in Terryville, CT; St John of the Ladder Church in Greenville, SC; Holy Resurrection Church in Clinton, MS; and St. Andrew''s Church in Delta, CO. Fr. Andrew has also made a few mosaic icons in ancient Byzantine style, most notably for Christ the Savior Church in Pearl River, NY. In 1995 he was awarded the New Hampshire Council on the Arts, Discovery Award. In his nomination, Burt Feintuch, Director of the Center of Humanities at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, wrote, "Celebrated in American church communities, passionately devoted to his art, Fr. Tregubov is not known widely in the secular world. We should 'discover' this excellent artist, recognizing and appreciating his very significant contribution to a highly valued art form..." In 1997 he was a visiting lecturer at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY. There are a few icons of Fr. Andrew' at the chapel and the library. They also published a number of theological books with his illustrations. For example, The Incarnate God contains over a hundred of them. Fr. Andrew has many students across the US and has conducted two iconographic conferences in Claremont in addition to a number of workshops.

As mentioned earlier, on the right or south side of the church, three of the four icons represent major feast days of Jesus Christ.  These three icons are in chronological order beginning with the 2nd icon from the right, the Nativity of Christ, moving forward (from right to left on the photo) towards the Altar, and ends with the Theophany. The chronological movement is from the back of the church to the front - the movement is to encourage worshipers to propel themselves to the sanctuary, to communion, to the Kingdom.  The fourth icon located at the far right (or the rear wall of the church), which was commissioned at a later date, depicts the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

Specificially, the four icons on the right side wall of the church (from right to left) are of the following Church Feast days:

The Exaltation of the Cross

The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas)

The Meeting (Presentation) of Our Lord in the Temple

The Theophany (Epiphany) of Our Lord

Please continue below for additional details.

The third icon from the front (2nd icon from the right) on the right side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Nativity of Our Lord. 

The Feast of the Nativity of Jesus celebrates the birth of Jesus, who became a man and came into the world to save us. Also referred to as Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity is celebrated on December 25th.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

Your Nativity, O Christ our God, / Has shone to the world the Light of wisdom! / For by it, those who worshipped the stars, / Were taught by a Star to adore You, / The Sun of Righteousness, / And to know You, the Orient from on High. / O Lord, glory to You!

To learn about the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1000/12/25/103638-the-nativity-of-our-lord-god-and-savior-jesus-christ

The second icon from the front (3rd icon from the right) on the right side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple. 

The Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple is celebrated on February 2nd.  Forty days after his birth, Christ was presented to God in the Temple, being received in the arms of the elder Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below:

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace! / From you shone the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God. / Enlightening those who sat in darkness! / Rejoice, and be glad, O righteous elder; / You accepted in your arms the Redeemer of our souls, / Who grants us the Resurrection.

To learn about the Feast of The Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1000/02/02/100407-the-meeting-of-our-lord-and-savior-jesus-christ-in-the-temple

The first icon located on the front right wall (closest to the Altar) is of the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany) of Our Lord.

Theophany is the feast which reveals the Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord, and is celebrated on January 6th.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan / The worship of the Trinity was made manifest / For the voice of the Father bore witness to You / And called You His beloved Son. / And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, / Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. / O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself / And have enlightened the world, glory to You!

To learn about the Feast of Theophany of the Lord, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2018/01/06/100106-feast-of-the-theophany-of-our-lord-and-savior-jesus-christ

The fourth or last icon from the front (far right) on the right side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Exaltation of the Cross.  This Icon is located here because it was commissioned after the icons depicting three major feasts of Jesus Christ.

The Exaltation of the Cross, celebrated on September 14th, commemorates the finding of Christ’s Cross by Saint Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

O Lord, save Your people, / and bless Your inheritance. / Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians / over their adversaries. / And by virtue of Your Cross, / preserve Your habitation.

To learn about the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1000/09/14/102610-the-universal-exaltation-of-the-precious-and-life-giving-cross

On the opposite side of the church, on the left or north side of the church, three of the four icons represent major events in the life of the Virgin Mary.  These three icons are in chronological order beginning with the 2nd icon from the left, the Nativity of Mary, moving forward (from left to right on the photo) towards the Altar, and ends with the Dormition. Again, the chronological movement is from the back of the church to the front.  As discussed earlier, the movement is to encourage worshipers to propel themselves to the sanctuary, to communion, to the Kingdom.  The fourth icon is located at the far left (or the rear wall of the church), was commissioned at a later date, brings together saints associated with the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of America.

Specificially, the four icons on the left side wall of the church (from left to right) are of the following Church Feast days:

Saints of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of America

The Nativity of the Theotokos (a title of Mary - meaning Mother of God)

The Entrance (Presentation) of the Theotokos into the Temple

The Falling-asleep (Dormition or Assumption) of the Most Holy Theotokos 

Please continue below for additional details.

The third icon from the front (2nd icon from the left) on the left side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Nativity of the Theotokos (a title of the Virgin Mary, meaning Mother of God). 

The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos commemorates the birth of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, and is celebrated on September 8th each year. 

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

Your Nativity, O Virgin, / Has proclaimed joy to the whole universe! / The Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, / Has shone from You, O Theotokos! / By annulling the curse, / He bestowed a blessing. / By destroying death, He has granted us eternal Life.

To learn about the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1000/09/08/102541-the-nativity-of-our-most-holy-lady-the-mother-of-god-and-ever-vi

The second icon from the front (3rd icon from the left) on the left side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. 

The Feast commemorates when Mary, as a young child, was taken – presented – by her parents Joachim and Anna into the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary was solemnly received into the temple by the High Priest Zacharias. This feast is celebrated on November 21st each year.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

Today is the prelude of the good will of God, / of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. / The Virgin appears in the temple of God, / in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. / Let us rejoice / and sing to her: / "Rejoice, O Fulfillment of the Creator's dispensation."

To learn about the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/entrance-of-the-theotokos-to-the-temple

The first icon from the front (4th icon from the left) on the left side of the church is an Icon of the Feast of The Falling-asleep (Dormition) of the Most Holy Theotokos. 

The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary commemorates the repose (dormition) or "falling-asleep" of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos.

This feast is celebrated on August 15th each year.

The Troparion of the feast is located in the lower section below the Icon and follows below: 

In giving birth you preserved your virginity, / In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, / And by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.

To learn about the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1000/08/15/102302-the-dormition-of-our-most-holy-lady-the-mother-of-god-and-ever-v

The 4th Icon on the north side of the church (the 1st icon on the left side, or at the rear side wall of the church) is an Icon that brings together saints associated with the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in America.  

On the left side of the cross are 4 Albanian saints: In the middle row, left to right is St. Christo the Gardener and St. Cosmos of Berat (or Cosmas of Aitolia).  In the bottom row, left to right is St. Angelina of Serbia and the Apostle Paul (who founded communities in Illyria, which is present day Albania).

On the right side of the cross, 5 Orthodox saints in America are depicted:  In the middle row, left to right is St. Innocent of Alaska and Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn (who was of Syro-Lebanese origin).  In the lower row, left to right, is Saint Herman of Alaska and St. Juvenaly.  At the bottom right of the cross is the teenaged Peter the Aleut, a martyr.  

There are 3 unidentified persons at the top of the cross who represent those all the saints unnamed and unknown to us.

In the top background of the icon are a groupings of churches. Prominantly depicted on the upper left side of the cross is the Albanian Orthodox Cathedral in Boston.

The icon represents the parishioners of St. George, people of various ethnic backgrounds committed to bring Orthodoxy to America, and America to Orthodoxy. 

Under the icon is the phrase “Together we lift high the Holy Cross”.  This comes from the Troparion used on August 9th commemorating the Glorification of Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America:  

O blessed Father Herman of Alaska, / North star of Christ’s holy Church, / The light of your holy life and great deeds / Guides those who follow the Orthodox way. / Together we lift high the Holy Cross / You planted firmly in America. / Let all behold and glorify Jesus Christ, / Singing his holy Resurrection.

Across the rear wall of the church, there are seven icons which depict the events before and after the Resurrection, including the Crucifixion and Pentecost. These icons do not have their Troparion's added due to limited space at their elevated location. 

Specifically, the seven icons on the rear wall of the church (from left to right) are of the following:

The Raising of Lazarus

Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)

Crucifixion (The Great and Holy Friday)

Pascha (Easter)

Ascension of Our Lord

Pentecost

Transfiguration of Our Lord 

Please continue below for additional details.

The icon located on the far left of the back wall of the church is of the Icon of the Raising of Lazarus. 

The Raising of Lazarus is celebrated on the Saturday before Holy Week. The feast commemorates the miracle of when Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days. Lazarus Saturday is at the end of the 40 days of Great Lent and the Church combines this celebration with that of Palm Sunday, which is the next day.

The Troparian:  By raising Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion, Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ God! Like the children with the branches of victory, we cry out to Thee, O Vanquisher of Death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!

To learn about the Feast of the Raising of Lazarus, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2017/04/08/19-the-raising-of-lazarus-lazarus-saturday

The 2nd icon from the left, located on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). 

Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, a large crowd met Him in a manner befitting royalty, waving palm branches and placing their garments in His path.

Palm Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday before the Feast of Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week.

The Troparian:  By raising Lazarus from the dead before Your passion, / You did confirm the universal Resurrection, O Christ God! / Like the children with the palms of victory, / We cry out to You, O Vanquisher of death; / Hosanna in the Highest! / Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord!

To learn about the Feast of the Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2018/04/01/20-entry-of-our-lord-into-jerusalem-palm-sunday

The 3rd icon from the left, located on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Crucifixion (The Great and Holy Friday). 

On the Great and Holy Friday (called Good Friday in Western Christianity), the Orthodox Church commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross.  On this day we commemorate the sufferings of Christ, and all that he endured on the Cross. This is the culmination of the observance of His Passion by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins. 

The Troparian:  The Noble Joseph, / When he had taken down Your most pure Body from the tree, / Wrapped it in fine linen, / And anointed it with spices, / And placed it in a new tomb.

To learn about the Great and Holy Friday, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2015/04/10/25-great-and-holy-friday

The middle and largest icon, located on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Feast of Holy Pascha (Easter).

On The Great and Holy Feast of Pascha, Orthodox Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In the Orthodox Church the feast of Easter is officially called Pascha, the word which means the Passover. 

This “Feast of Feasts” is the most significant day in the life of the Church, the center of Christian faith. Without the resurrection. there would be no Christian faith.

The Troparian:  Christ is risen from the dead, / Trampling down death by death, / And upon those in the tombs / Bestowing life.

To learn more about the Feast of Holy Pascha, please click onto the following link: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/04/28/27-holy-pascha-the-resurrection-of-our-lord

The 3rd icon from the right, on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Feast of Ascension.

The Feast commemorates when, on the 40th day after His Resurrection, Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, and after blessing them and asking them to wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ascended into heaven.

The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension also changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.

The Troparian:  O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory, / Granting joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. / Through the blessing they were assured / That You are the Son of God, / The Redeemer of the world!

To learn more about the Feast of Ascension, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/ascension1

The 2nd icon from the right, on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Feast of Pentecost.

The Feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit.  The Apostles were gathered together and a sound came from heaven like a rushing wind, then tongues of fire appeared upon each one of Apostles. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. It also celebrates the establishment of the Church through the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of the thousands on that day. The Feast is also seen as the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

The Feast of Holy Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The Feast is always celebrated on a Sunday. 

The Troparian:  Blessed art You O Christ Our God / You have revealed the fishermen as most wise / By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit / Through them You drew the world into Your net / O Lover of Man, Glory to You!

To learn more about the Feast of Pentecost, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/pentecost-the-descent-of-the-holy-spirit

The 1st icon from the right, on the upper back wall of the church, is of the Icon of the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.

The feast commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ. Jesus took the Apostles Peter, James, and John with Him up upon a mountain, on Mount Tabor, and while they were on the mountain Jesus was transfigured, appearing in His divine glory - His face shone like the sun, and His garments became glistening white.

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord is celebrated each year on August 6th.

The Troparian:  You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / revealing Your glory to Your disciples as far as they could bear it. / Let Your everlasting Light also shine upon us sinners, / through the prayers of the Theotokos. / O Giver of Light, glory to You!

To learn more about the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/transfiguration

Located on the walls of the Choir, which is located in the front left side of the church, are the final two of 17 icons that were commissioned during the late 1990’s.  

Specifically, the two icons located on the Choir walls are:

The Protection of the Most-Holy Theotokos

The Holy Shroud

On the rear (or north-side) wall of the choir is the Icon of the Feast of the Protection of the Most-Holy Theotokos. 

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the Most-Holy Theotokos in the mid-tenth century in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In the fifth century, the Church of Blachernae is where the Mother of God’s robe, veil, and part of her belt were transfered from Palestine, and preserved.  

While multitudes of faithful were gathered in church, Saint Andrew the-Fool-for-Christ and his disciple Epiphanius observed the appearance of the Mother of God praying in the church above the faithful, and spreading her veil over the people, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians.

The St. George icon shows the Theotokos standing above the faithful with her arms outstretched in prayer and draped with a veil. Below her are some of the Apostles, Bishops, monks and martyrs. On the lower right of this icon are Saints Andrew and Epiphaneus who are gesturing in astonishment at the miraculous appearance. Below the Theotokos, in the center of the icon, stands Saint Romanus the Melodist, the famous hymnographer whose feast is also celebrated on the same day. On the lower left is his choir.

This feast is celebrated on October 1st.

The Troparian:  Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy / illumined by your coming, O Mother of God. / Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you: / “Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection; / deliver us from every form of evil by entreating Christ, / your Son and our God that He may save our souls.

To learn more about the Feast of the Protection of the Most-Holy Theotokos, please click onto the following link:  https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2000/10/01/102824-the-protection-of-our-most-holy-lady-the-mother-of-god-and-ever

The Holy Shroud is a cloth depicting Jesus lying in the tomb. This Icon (the Holy Shroud is regarded as an icon) has its own iconographic traditions.

The icon, “The Deposition in the Tomb”, is an embroidery, and depicts the scene of Christ after he has been removed from the cross, lying supine, as his body is being prepared for burial. The scene is taken from the Gospel of St. John 19:38-42. Shown around him, and mourning his death is the Theotokos holding Christ, with John the Theologian, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, and 4 of the Myrrh-bearing women.

The embroidered text on the borders surrounding the Icon is the Troparion of Good Friday:

“The Noble Joseph, / when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the Tree, / Wrapped it in fine linen. / And anointed it with spices, / and placed it a new tomb.”

The St. George Holy Shroud, which is located on the north wall in the Choir space, was completed in 1998 by Matushka Galina Tregubov. Matushka Galina is a noted ecclesiastical embroiderer, a very rare and almost forgotten art.  She is also the wife of Fr. Andrew Tregubov, the Iconographer of St. George’s major icons.  

Notes on the Embroidery materials: The Holy Shroud Icon is a handmade embroidery that measures 37 inches by 47 inches. The embroidery is made with “perle cotton” embroidery floss using a "split" stitch technique on a velveteen background. The icon is lined and decorated with galloon and fringe.  On the galloon, in embroidered text, is the Troparion of Good Friday along with a grapevine design.  Each square inch of embroidery contains between 150 to 300 stitches.  A typical embroidered Holy Shroud will take a year or more to complete.  A close-up photo above shows the detail of the stiches and shading

Below is a biography of Matushka Galina, which was obtained from the Tregubov - Icons website:  https://www.tregubov-icons.com/Biographies/Matushka-Galina/n-WrShrw

Galina Tregubov was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1950. All women in her family -- her mother, aunts, and grandmother -- were excellent craftsmen. Galina's grandmother, Olga Vasilieva (1899-1973), who brought her up from her infancy, was also the one to take care of the house. She used her free time not only for sewing clothing for the family, but also for doing her embroidery, into which she put all her heart. She did not make ecclesiastical objects but household items, such as table cloths, pillow cases, and napkins. She was a true master, possessing great artistic sense, and she was able to create her own ornaments and had a vast knowledge of different techniques. It is primarily from her that Galina acquired the skills, love, and interest for embroidery. Galina's grandmother told her that she herself was taught by her own grandmother, Anna Volzhina-Kovalsky (1854-1933), who was a well-known master of her time. The great-grandmother used to be the head seamstress in the prestigious dress shop in Moscow. The customers of this shop were exclusively of the nobility and ordered both traditional and modern clothing. Because Russian fashions of the 18th and 19th centuries employed a great deal of embroidery, this was a time when the art of embroidery was in full bloom. The shop was named after its founder, fashion designer Nadezhda Lamanova. Even now in Moscow there is a fashion design show named after her. Of course this was secular embroidery, but its technique was the same as the ecclesiastical form, and the shop received commissions from churches as well. Despite continuing religious persecution in communist Russia even after the World War II, the art of the Orthodox Church was open for the general public to see. Special museums and exhibitions, reproductions, books on icons, church architecture, wood and ivory carving, and precious metals and embroideries -- all of these were exploited by the government to satisfy the special interest of foreign visitors in Russian heritage. As a result of this abundance of printed material Galina's family has collected many books on the ecclesiastical arts over time. This library gave her the basic historical and theoretical knowledge on the art of embroidery. In addition, living in the capitol city Galina had the opportunity not only to visit museums and exhibitions, but also to visit those churches that were allowed to stay open and that contained a great wealth of ancient embroideries. Later, in 1975, Galina and her husband Andrew emigrated to America. In a few years her husband was ordained a priest for the parish in Claremont, NH. After they settled there, Galina started to embroider full time. Her husband, who became a professional iconographer as well, helped her in her understanding of the development of the iconographic tradition and in the technical aspects of drawing. She was able also to acquire a great deal of new and helpful information from their studies of Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in Western Europe, especially in France, England and Italy. In 1978, to celebrate the birth of their son Timothy, Galina completed her first big embroidery of the Holy Shroud. And in 1983, when their daughter Anna was born, she embroidered her first set of church banners.In 1995 she was honored to receive the New Hampshire Council on the Arts, Traditional Arts Fellowship Award. In 1996 her embroidered icon of Ss. Peter and Paul, traveled with the Heaven on Earth exhibit of the Anchorage Museum to such museums as the Field Museum in Chicago and The Newark Museum in New Jersey. In 1999 she was exhibiting her embroidered icons and giving workshops at the Celebrating New Hampshire Stories exhibition, the part of the Smithsonian Museum Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. In 2002 Galina published the instructional book Guardian Angel on the embroidering of a traditional banner. In the course of 25 years she have completed more than 50 different embroideries for churches and private homes all over the US.