A polychromic ceramic tile featuring a double-headed eagle from the Solovki monastery end of the 17th - early 18 centuries

A heap of polychromic ceramic tiles of the end of the 17th - early 18th centurieswas found within the compound of the Solovki Monastery during archaeologicalexcavations of monastic cell No. 9 carried out in 2006. Two fragmented stamps featuringa double-headed eagle, i. e. a heraldic symbol of the czar house, were put together fromthe heap shards. Comparison with existing analogies helped establish that the ceramictiles had been made in Moscow by a skilled ceramist. The same craftsman made ceramictiles for the Alekseyevsky Monastery and the Central Apothecary. The find of ceramictiles in monastic cell No. 9 is easy to explain. In accordance with the written documents,this cell had a special status starting from the first half of the 16th century. The Moscowczar personally allocated it to the Solovki monks.