The portico preceding the entrance to the Holy Nativity Church and the ceremonial refectory of the St. Paphnutius-Borovsky Monastery are adorned with unique frescos dating back to the 1540s. The painters remembered the images created by Dionysius for one of the cathedrals of the monastery that were, unfortunately, lost in the late 16th century. The innovative program of the frescos, devised presumably by Metropolitan Macarius, an enlightened theologist of his time professed at the St. Paphnutius-Borovsky Monastery, is quite surprising. Of special interest is the composition “Jesse Tree” that occupies the entire space of the arched ceiling and part of the walls of the second floor of the portico. Another novelty is the prophetic frieze consisting of 14 figures expanded by the images of ancient Greek philosophers and sybils who predicted the birth of the Savior of the World. Another important theme in the frescos is individual, represented by the legend of the Euphrosynus the Cook. This topic and the nearby image of the abbot of St. Paphnutius Monastery welcome those who enter and are perceived as a spiritual instruction and a reminder of humility for each monk ascending to the refectory.
Key words: St. Paphnutius-Borovsky Monastery, fresco complex, fresco program, Old Russian art, Dionysius, Saint Paphnutius, Metropolitan Macarius.
