Saints Zossim (died 1478) and Savvatii (died 1438) stand facing each other offering the Solovetsky monastery to the Virgin and Child who are shown in a celestial opening at the top of the panel with the Virgin’s arms being held in the orans and the Christ-child blessing the two saints.

These two monastic saints are known for founding the Solovetsky Monastery in 1436 on an island in the White Sea of Northern Russia. Throughout the imperial period of Russian history, the monastery was renowned as a strong fortress which repelled foreign attacks during the Livonian War (16th century), the Time of Troubles (17th century), the Crimean War (19th century), and the Russian Civil War (20th century). It was also the first gulag where many Russian intellectuals and artists were imprisoned by Stalin, including the great philosopher, theologian, and mathematician Pavel Florensky.