Heavenly gates made at the turn of the 17th century are a rare and valuable museum exhibit. As a rule, they depict the Annunciation. The Virgin Mary, heeding the archangel, holds a ball of purple yarn. According to legend, when the holy messenger appeared Mary was knitting the veil of the Temple of Jerusalem, the same veil that was torn during Christ’s Crucifixion. The four evangelists, who spread the gospel to the four corners of the world, are depicted here with their symbols: an angel, an eagle, a lion and an ox. Matthew, Mark and Luke write their texts on codices, while the illiterate John dictates the words of the holy revelation to his student Prochorus. Since the gates were an important element of the iconostasis, they were further decorated with a silver passementerie.