This panel was once part of a four-panel icon used for the "Feast Days and the Exaltation of the Mother of God." Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the theme on the upper portion, with high-ranking members of the Orthodox Church, dressed in ornate vestments, adoring the instrument of Christ's death. The architectural background shows domes in the medieval Russian style. Christ's Resurrection is shown on the upper right panel, with His Ascension next, then the Dormition ('falling asleep') of the Virgin Mary, and finally the Holy Trinity. The supernatural aspect of Jesus' life is the subject of these five scenes; done in such a way, (following European tradition), as to make the supernatural seem real, and thus bringing even closer the divine nature of Jesus Christ.