For
Orthodox churches, iconography represents the way in which believers are helped
to fulfil the purpose for which they were created, that is, the attainment of
perfection in the mystical union with God through prayer and the grace of the
Holy Mysteries. The painting of Orthodox churches is, in fact, a kind of
theology painted in images. The paintings are not a simple means of decorating
the place of worship, so as to delight the eye and satisfy the aesthetic sense
of the viewers, but, furthermore, they give voice to the monuments. The painted
icon has a special significance. It presents to us not the habitual face of
man, rotten and mortal, but the glorious and eternal face. It is not the
earthly body, but the transfigured, pnevmatized body that it depicts. This is
the body that is permeated by the uncreated divine energies of the Holy Spirit,
the new body after the resurrection.
Contingency
is not part of the Orthodox churches' painting plan, but, instead, rule and
orderliness hold a place of honour. Depending on the inner and outer chambers
of the churches, there is an iconographic system, program or pattern that shows
the church painters which faces or scenes can be painted in each of these
chambers. This system or program was not fixed and uniform but formed
gradually, it varied by epoch and region, according to the evolution of
religious architecture, depending on the variety of architectural types, the
dimensions of the churches and the surface to be painted. The iconography of
the Orthodox churches aims to integrate everything into the liturgical mystery
so that, besides the sacred ministries, it all forms an expectation of the Holy
Mysteries.
Primary Language | English |
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Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | September 15, 2019 |
Submission Date | July 15, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019 |
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