The distressful deaths of two remarkable church figures are depicted here. The first, St. Andronike, an active missionary in Japan, a deep thinker and an ascetic, was buried alive. The second, St. Germogen, was an educated church worker also noted for his selfless life. He was thrown to the river with a stone tied around his neck. Both church figures suffered brutal violence and died almost simultaneously. Bishop Germogen died on June 16, 1918, and Archbishop Andronike died four days later. For this reason, they are regularly portrayed together. The incorporation of two different time events in a single scene or space is part of the canonical tradition in iconography.

Throughout the icon, different methods of torture and execution are portrayed, revealing the particular cruelty and hatred that the persecutors employed against the church. However, the images of suffering saints are always illuminated here by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, which gives them strength to oppose their enemies. The saints' voluntary giving of themselves, their self-sacrifice for their Christian faith, has the effect of blessing the ground and water stained by their blood. The halos around their clear faces, the festive celestial garments and their gestures suggesting prayer, portray the martyrs as somewhat incorporeal beings, or already in an angelical state.

But despite the gruesome events, the shining white walls and the golden cupolas in the background give a surprising festivity to the entire image. The river, coming from above, serves also a symbolical separation from the land of suffering. Two different planes of existence merge in this icon, giving testimony to the reaching of eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom through the narrow gates of suffering on Earth.