A Russian legend claims that it was a home to icon-painters even before the Mongol invasions. At least since the 17th century, Kholuy has been a producer of lacquer boxes, plates, and other painted items that this region of Russia is famous for. After the October Revolution, icon-painting became unpopular and even dangerous. However, Kholuy painters kept painting, at this time in secrecy, giving the area a kind of legitimacy in the cultural and artistic world.
The style of icon painting in Kholuy is particular to this town, and distinctly different from the more widely known Palekh style of painting. The icon-painters in Kholuy use a large amount of green hues, as opposed to the style of using mostly red colors, as is traditional in Palekh.
References
^"Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). 3 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
^Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)