The Novgorod Museum-Reserve has started selling T-shirts with prints inspired by the frescoes of Theophanes the Greek from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street. This is the only place where his original monumental paintings have been preserved.

Theophanes was born in Byzantium, hence his nickname "the Greek." He worked in Constantinople, Galata, and Caffa, and in the 1370s moved to Novgorod. In 1378, he began painting the Church of the Savior on Ilyina.

The museum says that Theophanes' style is recognizable by free brushstrokes, a restrained palette, and sharp white highlights. Through the faces of saints, he conveyed their inner state, which was rare for the Byzantine tradition of that time.

According to the museum, Theophanes greatly influenced Novgorod masters, and traces of his style can be seen in icons and book graphics of the 14th–15th centuries. The T-shirts are sold in the museum's souvenir shops.

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