The epigonation (or bedernitsa in Slavonic – meaning „over the knee”) is a liturgical vestment distinguishing hierarchs and clerics with special merits. It is a rhomb made of various precious fabrics and decorated with icons and symbols. It is worn at the knee level, suspended by a cord. On a symbolic level, it is a reminder of the towel with which Jesus girded Himself before the Mystical Supper, to wash the feet of His disciples.

The Putna Monastery keeps two epigonatia. The first dates back to the first decades of the 15th century and has been attributed to a Constantinople workshop. Its iconographic theme is the Dormition of the Mother of God. The icon is designed so that the center line of the composition joins two of the four corners of the piece. In the central position, the lifeless body of the Virgin Mary is depicted on a catafalque decorated with pearls. Next to it, the Savior holds in His arms the soul of His Mother.

The epigonation probably “dates back to the second half of the 14th century, an important product of a Constantinople workshop, comparable with the finest creations of the last Byzantine dynasty.” (V. Vătășianu)

Surrounding the coffin are two groups of saints, each consisting of seven people. Behind the Savior is a group of 15 angels. A border made of pearl-sewn circles runs along the four edges of the item. The inscription is embroidered with silver thread in Greek.

The second epigonation also dates back to the 15th century. It is embroidered with silver-gilt thread on red silk, and its four edges are decorated with a double border including two Byzantine imperial signs – the crux gammata and the losange ouvert – each replicated four times. Christ in His glory is represented on the epigonation, surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists, two seraphs, and two archangels (Michael and Gabriel). The red silk, the imperial insignia, and the vegetal motifs on the border of the piece are identical to the ones on Lady Maria Asanina Palaiologina’s tomb cover.