External Arrangement
Orthodox churches generally take one of several
shapes that have a particular mystical significance. The most
common shape is an oblong or rectangular shape, imitating the
form of a ship. As a ship, under the guidance of a master helmsman
conveys people through the stormy seas to a calm harbor, so the
Church, guided by Christ, carries us unharmed across the stormy
seas of sin and strife to the peaceful haven of the Kingdom of
Heaven. Churches are also frequently built in the form of a Cross
to proclaim that we are saved through faith in the Crucified Christ,
for Whom Christians are prepared to suffer all things.
Almost always Orthodox churches are oriented East-West,
with the main entrance of the building at the west end. This symbolizes
the entrance of the worshipper from the darkness of sin (the west)
into the light of truth (the east).
On the roof of Orthodox churches are usually found
one or more cupolas (domes with rounded or pointed roofs). A peculiar
feature of Russian Orthodox churches is the presence of onion-shaped
domes on top of the cupolas. This shape reminds believers of the
flame of a candle, burning upward to heaven.
Every cupola is crowned with a Cross, the instrument
of our salvation. In the Russian Church, the most common form
is the so-called three-bar Cross, consisting of the usual crossbeam,
a shorter crossbeam above that and another, slanted, crossbeam
below. Symbolically, the three bars represent, from the top, the
signboard on which was written, in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, Jesus
of Nazareth, the King of the Jews (John:19:19); the main crossbeam,
to which the hands of Jesus were nailed; the lower portion, to
which His feet were nailed.
The three-bar representation existed in Christian
art from the very early times in Byzantium, although usually without
the bottom bar slanted, which is particularly Russian. The origin
of this slanted footboard is not known, but in the symbolism of
the Russian Church, the most common explanation is that it is
pointing upward to Paradise for the Good Thief on Jesus' right
and downward to Hades for the thief on His left (Luke 23).
Internal Arrangement
The interior of an Orthodox church is divided
into several parts. The first is the Narthex (Vestibule; Lity-Greek;
Pritvor-Russian, Atrium-Latin), in ancient times a large, spacious
place, wherein the Catechumens received instruction while preparing
for Baptism, and also where penitents excluded from Holy Communion
stood.
The main body of the church is the Nave, separated
from the Sanctuary (Altar) by an icon screen with doors, called
the Iconostasis (Icon stand). The walls of the Nave are decorated
with Icons and murals, before many of which are hanging lit lamps
(lampadas). Especially noticeable in traditional Orthodox churches
is the absence of any pews. The Fathers of the Church deemed it
disrespectful for anyone to sit during the Divine services (except
at certain explicit moments of instruction or Psalm reading) and
the open spaces were seen to be especially conducive to the many
bows and prostrations typical of Orthodox worship.
At the extreme Eastern end of the church is found
the Altar (or Sanctuary), with two rooms-the Sacristy and the
Vestry-at either side, separated from the Nave by the Iconostasis.
Holy Icons - Theology
in Color
One of the first things that strikes a non-Orthodox
visitor to an Orthodox church is the prominent place assigned
to Holy Icons. The iconostasis is covered with them, while others
are placed in prominent places throughout the church building.
The walls and ceiling are covered with iconic murals. The Orthodox
faithful prostrate themselves before icons, kiss them, and burn
candles before them. The are incensed by the clergy and carried
in processions. Considering the obvious importance of the Holy
Icons, then, questions may certainly be raised concerning them:
What do these gestures and actions mean? What is the significance
of Icons? Are they not idols or the like, prohibited by the Old
Testament?
Icons have been used for prayer from the first
centuries of Christianity. Sacred Tradition tells us, for example,
of the existence of an Icon of the Saviour during His lifetime
(the "Icon-Made-Without-Hands") and of icons of the
Most Holy Mother of God immediately after Him. Sacred Tradition
witnesses that the Orthodox Church had a clear understanding of
the importance of Icons right from the beginning; and this understanding
never changed, for it is derived from the teachings concerning
the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - Our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The use of icons is grounded in
the very essence of Christianity, since Christianity is the revelation
by God-Man not only of the Word of God, but also of the Image
of God; for, as St. John the Evangelist tells us, the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
No one has ever seen God; only the Son, Who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known (John 1:18),
the Evangelist proclaims. That is, He has revealed the Image or
Icon of God. For being the brightness of [God's] glory, and the
express image of [God's] person (Hebrews 1:3), the Word of God
in the Incarnation revealed to the world, in His own Divinity,
the Image of the Father When St. Philip asks Jesus, Lord, show
us the Father, He answered him: Have I been with you so long,
and yet you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen
the Father (John 14:8-9). Thus as the Son is in the bosom of the
Father, likewise after the Incarnation He is constubstantial with
the Father, according to His divinity being the Father's Image,
equal in honor to Him.
The truth expressed above, which is revealed in
Christianity, thus forms the foundations of Christian pictorial
art. The Image (or Icon) not only does not contradict the essence
of Christianity, but is unfailingly connected with it; and this
is the foundation of the tradition that from the very beginning
the Good News was brought to the world by the Church both in word
and image.
St. John of Damascus, an eighth century Father
of the Church, who wrote at the height of the iconoclastic (anti-icon)
controversies in the Church, explains, that because the Word of
God became flesh (John 1:14), we are no longer in our infancy;
we have grown up, we have been given by God the power of discrimination
and we know what can be depicted and what is indescribable. Since
the Second Person of the Holy Trinity appeared to us in the flesh,
we can portray Him and reproduce for contemplation Him Who has
condescended to be seen. We can confidently represent God the
Invisible-not as an invisible being, but as one Who has made Himself
visible for our sake by sharing in our flesh and blood.
Holy Icons developed side by side with the Divine
Services and, like the Services, expressed the teaching of the
Church in conformity with the word of Holy Scripture. Following
the teaching of the 7th Ecumenical Council, the icon is seen not
as simple art, but that there is a complete correspondence of
the Icon to Holy Scripture, "for if the [Icon] is shown by
[Holy Scripture], [Holy Scripture] is made incontestably clear
by the [Icon] [Acts of the 7th Ecumenical Council, 6].
As the word of Holy Scripture is an image, so
the image is also a word, for, according to St. Basil the Great
(1379), "what the word transmits through the ear, that painting
silently shows through the image." In other words, the Icon
contains and professes the same truth as the Gospels and therefore,
like the Gospels, is based on exact data, and is not a human invention,
for if it were otherwise, Icons could not explain the Gospels
nor correspond to them.
By depicting the divine, we are not making ourselves
similar to idolaters; for it is not the material symbol that we
are worshipping, but the Creator, Who became corporeal for our
sake and assumed our body in order that through it He might save
mankind. We also venerate the material objects through which our
salvation is effected - the blessed wood of the Cross, the Holy
Gospel, Holy Relics of Saints, and, above all, the Most-Pure Body
and Blood of Christ, which have grace-bestowing properties and
Divine Power. Orthodox Christians do not venerate an icon of Christ
because of the nature of the wood or the paint, but rather we
venerate the inanimate image of Christ with the intention of worshipping
Christ Himself as God Incarnate through it.
We kiss an icon of the Blessed Virgin as the Mother
of the Son of God, just as we kiss the icons of the Saints as
God's friends who struggled against sin, imitating Christ by shedding
their blood for Him and followed in His footsteps. Saints are
venerated as those who were glorified by God and who became, with
God's help, terrible to the Enemy, and benefactors to those advancing
in the faith-but not as gods and benefactors themselves; rather
they were the servants of God who were given boldness of spirit
in return for their love of Him. We gaze on the depiction of their
exploits and sufferings so as to sanctify ourselves through them
and to spur ourselves on to zealous emulation.
The icons of the Saints act as a meeting point
between the living members of the Church [Militant] on earth and
the Saints who have passed on to the Church [Triumphant] in Heaven.
The Saints depicted on the icons are not remote, legendary figures
from the past, but contemporary, personal friends. As meeting
points between Heaven and earth, the Icons of Christ, His Mother,
the Angels and Saints constantly remind the faithful of the invisible
presence of the whole company of Heaven; they visibly express
the idea of Heaven on earth.
The Iconostasis
The most prominent feature of an Orthodox church
is the iconostasis, consisting of one or more rows of icons and
broken by a set of doors in the center (the Holy or Royal Doors)
and a door at each side (the Deacon's Doors).
A typical iconostasis consists of one or more
tiers (rows) of icons. Ours is made up of three tiers. At the
center of the first, or lowest, tier, are the Royal Doors, on
which are placed icons of the four Evangelists who announced to
the world Good News - the Gospel- of the Saviour. At the center
of the Royal Doors is an icon of the Annunciation to the Most
Holy Mother of God, since this event was the prelude or beginning
of our salvation. Over the Royal Doors is placed an icon of the
Mystical Supper (the Last Supper) since, in the sanctuary beyond,
the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist is celebrated in remembrance
of the Saviour Who instituted the Sacrament at the Last Supper.
At either side of the Royal Doors are always placed
an icon of the Saviour (to the right) and of the Mother of God
(to the left). On either side of the Royal Doors, beyond the icons
of the Lord and His Mother, are two doors - Deacon's Doors - upon
which are depicted the Archangels Michael and Gabriel - who minister
always at the heavenly Altar, just as do the earthly deacons during
the Divine services. Other icons of particular local significance
are also placed in the first row of the iconostasis, for which
reason the lower tier is often called the Local Icons. In our
church the two icons immediately to the right of the southern
deacon's door are those of St Michael the Confessor, Bishop of
Sinada; whose Holy Relics are interred in the foundations of our
church and St Dimitry the New-Martyr of Chois whose relics were
placed in the Altar of our church at its consecration.
Ascending above the Local Icons are two more tiers
of icons. Immediately above the icon of the Mystical Supper is
placed an icon of the Saviour "Not made by Hands", flanked
by His Mother and St John the Baptist and the twelve apostles.
This tier is called the Deisis (prayer), since all in this tier
are turned to Christ in supplication. The small tier of icons
in between the two tiers mentioned contain the icons of the Russian
Royal Martyrs on the left, and the New Martyr bishops on the right
of the Royal Doors.
At the very top of the Iconostasis is placed the Holy Cross, upon
which the Lord was crucified, effecting thereby our salvation.
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary which lies beyond the iconostasis,
is set aside for those who perform the Divine services, and normally
persons not consecrated to the service of the Church are not permitted
to enter. Occupying the central place is the Altar, which represents
the Throne of God, with the Lord Himself invisibly present there.
It also represents the Tomb of Christ, since His Body (the Holy
Eucharist) is placed there. The Altar is square in shape and is
draped by two coverings. The first, inner covering, is of white
linen, representing the winding-sheet in which the Body of Christ
was wrapped. The outer cloth is made of rich and bright material,
representing the glory of God's Throne. In our church the outer
covering is carved wood and goldleaf.
With acknowledgement to Archpriest Victor Potapov
St John the Baptist Cathedral, Washington DC.
