Счастливое святки!

Which, if Babelfish is to be trusted and your computer is set up to read Cyrillic, is Russian for "Happy Sviatki". This being the time for the Russian Orthodox Church's two-week celebration of Christmas.
 

As way of marking the day, here is my scene of Russian priests (monks?) blessing the troops on this auspicious day in 1813, prior to them going on and kicking Boney's butt all the way to Paris- if with a few setbacks along the way.  
 

This little vignette was inspired by this scene from War and Peace, which captured my imagination ever since I first saw it.

The miniatures are from Front Rank, all heavily converted.  Old Rasputin wielding his cross was actually made from an old Ral Partha ashigaru miniature as a frame, with arms from a Dixon ACW officer and a head from a Front Rank Cossack.  Robes and beard from epoxy putty.  

The reliquary for the icon was from- of all things- the bridge from a Tamiya 1/700 Fletcher class destroyer (it comes with two versions).  I added doors from plastic card.
 

The kneeling infantrymen also show the dark green I want for my Russian army.  I used Vallejo Russian Green (go figure), given a wash with Ceramcoat's Jungle Green.  

I despair of ever finding a really matte varnish; I've only got the remnants of one can of Testor's Dullcoat, and when that's gone, that's it as it is unobtainable here.  So I use it very sparingly!
 

These were fun to do, and have been about ten years in the making- I kid you not.  Hopefully the dragoons I'm working on now will be done in a fraction of that time!