Frescoes in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral- these are the paintings on the walls of the cathedral, made in the XI, XVI and XVII centuries, and preserved only in fragments. Here you can see a rare scene of the Last Judgment, the figure of St. Christopher, the portrait of Queen Mariam, etc. In many cases, we now see late frescoes of the decline of Georgian painting.

The frescoes of the cathedral were destroyed and damaged many times. Something was destroyed during the invasions of Tamerlane in the 1380s. In the 16th and 17th centuries, during the invasions, the Persians scraped faces on frescoes, and these scratches are still clearly visible today. In the 1830s, when the visit of Emperor Nicholas I was expected, they were whitewashed to give the cathedral a cleaner and more official look.

Nowadays there are still a lot of frescoes and their enumeration is not an easy task. Let us mention the main known thing.

Pillar

Those who have studied the history of the construction of the temple already know that the temple was built on the site where the sacred cedar grew. The cedar was cut down and turned into a column, which was installed directly on its own tree stump. Or the base of the column was put right on the roots - now it's hard to say. For some time unknown to science, this column has ceased to be a load-bearing column and turned into a free-standing pillar. In the 16th century, it was surrounded by a high stone wall and it actually turned into a stone turret. In the same century, this turret was painted with frescoes. These frescoes are late and artistically rather mediocre.

Three sides of the pillar are painted. From the west - scenes of the resurrection and crucifixion, from the south - the scene of the installation of the Pillar, from the east the same thing. There are no frescoes on the north side. There used to be an icon "Trinity", and in 2017 they hung "Christ Pantokrator".

And here the most interesting thing, of course, is on the western wall. The wall is divided into 4 sections, in the upper right there is a crucifix. On both sides of the crucifix, we see something that resembles a jellyfish. Red and white. Or gray. Since the 1980s, rumors have circulated that these are flying saucers. From time to time, these rumors revive. For example, one site posted a news item on July 25, 2017 under the heading: In the Svetitskhoveli temple in the Georgian city of Mtskheta, on a fresco depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, strange objects similar to flying saucers were found. Perhaps this icon is evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations..

Indeed, it looks a bit like flying jellyfish, although in fact it is a visualization of the biblical phrase " The sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood when the great and glorious day of the Lord comes". So the red jellyfish is a blood moon. Although it may be a very subtle reference to the prophet Isaiah:" And the moon will turn red, and the sun will be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and Jerusalem" (24:23).

The depiction of the sun and the moon is a kind of symbolic convention, but it has firmly entered Orthodox iconography. Black and red faces were often depicted on icons. For example, on a miniature in the Gospel of Rabula, one of the very early depictions of the crucifixion (586), it looks like this:

Moreover, in Russia they are depicted to this day. For example, here is a completely modern carved icon. It even says where the sun is and where the moon is.


The same sun and moon are present in Raphael's famous icon "Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, Saints and Angels" (1503). Moreover, Raphael has a red moon to the left of the Crucifixion, as in Svetitskhoveli. The moral of all this: the Moon in the image of the Crucifixion is a long-standing and massive phenomenon, and one can not know about it only due to illiteracy.

The last judgment

The most interesting is usually the fresco of the southern wall, where the scene of the Last Judgment is painted. In the Bible, this scene is mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel and in the Apocalypse. Strictly speaking, this is not the Last Judgment, but the Second Coming.

In Russia it is sometimes called "Ezekiel's Vision". There are few such frescoes in the world. It is generally accepted that they began to appear in the XIV-XV centuries in the era of enthusiasm for all kinds of mysticism. According to another version, their appearance is associated with a change in the format of the liturgy, when they began to read the Apocalypse at the service.

The centerpiece of this fresco is the figure of Christ surrounded by angels and the zodiacal circle. Angels are often mistaken for the figures of the apostles (and the author of this text thought so for many years), although these are angels, with wings, and there are not 12, but 10 of them (plus Cherubim and Thrones).

The figure of Christ is the so-called "Christ Pantokrator", specifically the version known in Russia as "Savior in Strength". In modern language, it would be called "Savior surrounded by heavenly forces." That is, surrounded by angels. The fresco depicts Christ enthroned with the Gospel in his left hand. The gospel looks like a scroll of text. Usually it says "Come to me, all those who suffer ...".

Behind Christ, the red rhombus is the symbol of the earth (the red color symbolizes the earth, and the rhombus - the four cardinal points). Inside the rhombus, you can see red wings - these are the Thrones, the angels of the highest hierarchy. In Georgia they are called sakdari... They are usually drawn semi-transparently, but here they are red. (Below there are Thrones in a different format, so maybe this is some other hierarchy)

From the outside of the rhombus, four figures are visible: an eagle, a bull, a lion and a man. This is a reference to a vision from the 4th chapter of the Apocalypse:

There are four animals around the throne, full of eyes in front and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal was like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.

In the Apocalypse, this, in turn, is a reference to tetramorph- the beast with four faces from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel. Sometimes it is believed that these figures are symbols of the apostles (the theory of Irenaeus of Lyons).

All these figures are inscribed in a circle with the Greek text from the first verses of Psalm 148:

1 Praise the Lord from heaven; praise him in the highest.

2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his armies.

3 Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all stars of light.

This circular inscription is very important, it explains the meaning of what is depicted: around this inscription are the mentioned angels, the sun, the moon and the stars. Who praise the Lord.

Next is another outer circle, divided into 13 sections. They have 10 angels, two cherubim and two wheels at the very bottom. The angel at the very top is Archangel Michael, who is recognized by the white circle in his left hand - these are the symbols of foresight (the so-called Mirror). He is in charge of the angelic hierarchy, and therefore from above. The names of the other angels are difficult to establish. In the tradition, there are many systematizations of angels, and which the artists adhered to, we no longer know.

The problem here is that there are usually 7 Archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selafiel, Jehudiel, Barahiel and Jeremiel). In the circle there are 10. It is not clear who exactly was added. It could be the archangel Sichail.

The two wheels at the bottom of the angelic circle are also Thrones. These are the wheels from Ezekiel's vision. They are almost always visible in the depiction of Christ Pantokrator. For example, Christ also has it in the altar apse. According to the canon, they are drawn like this:

Some wheels are also mentioned in the 7th chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel: "His throne is like a flame of fire, His wheels are a blazing fire."

Around the angels - 12 zodiac signs, stars, sun and moon. This is probably a symbol of the universe or even the "host of heaven", which sometimes referred to the stars, and sometimes angels. It kind of hints at the power of Christ over the physical part of the universe. These constellation symbols often cause confusion among viewers due to dubious associations with astrology, but astrology hardly existed in Georgia at that time, so these are probably just astronomical symbols.

The zodiac in Svetitskhoveli is probably the most famous, although not the only one. Similar ones are sometimes found on frescoes and even on carvings of facades (for example, in the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare in Autun), and it is in the scene of the Last Judgment. Who cares: here is an almost exact copy (of the same 16th century) from the Greek monastery of Decoulou:

It so happened that in our time, zodiac signs excite people a little more than angels, and cause more discussion. There are whole astrological posts, where this type of zodiac in temples is given and it is concluded that the church in past eras recognized and respected astrology. In fact, she did not recognize and did not respect, if only because until the 15th century she practically did not exist. In Georgia, such pictures could be understood as poetic images from oriental poetry.

There is a lot more drawn around the main circle with the angels. This is probably the scene "Land and sea give up their dead." Usually such scenes were drawn not according to the Bible, but according to the composition of Ephraim the Syrian, "The Word on the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ," and everything is so symbolized there that it is almost impossible to decipher the meaning of the image.

Dome

Ezekiel's vision clearly haunted the authors of the Svetitskhovel frescoes. They repeated it in a simplified way in the painting of the dome, which was rather poorly preserved. It also depicts Christ Pantokrator, figures of a tetramorphic beast and wheels (thrones) with cherubs.

Altar niche

And for the third time Pantokrator is depicted in the altar niche. This is the largest and most prominent figure in the temple. Jesus is holding the Gospel in his left hand, and the gesture of his right hand is sometimes interpreted as verbatim. But sometimes as a gesture calling for silence. And in this fresco we again see wheels, and even with tongues of flame. This is already a direct reference to the above-mentioned passage from the prophet Daniel. The fresco looks good, but it's mostly a 19th century restoration.

Throne of the patriarch

The stone throne of the Patriarch at the far right column is also painted with frescoes. This is a good example of late Georgian painting: instead of grape leaves (as was customary until the 15th century), we see abstract golden lines here, clearly borrowed from Persian culture. An excellent illustration of the decline in Georgian painting.

The frescoes of the cathedral are under threat.
Yesterday it became known about the termination of the contract with the Pskov State Museum-Reserve for free use and security functions for the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin (1313) of the Snetogorsk Monastery with the first frescoes of the Pskov school of wall painting.

The cathedral is handed over to the church. But yesterday Taisiya Kruglova, head of the department of the Mirozhsky Monastery Museum-Reserve, refused to give the keys to the monument.

Vladimir Sarabyanov: "I have heard more than once from the lips of both mother Lyudmila and her inner circle that they do not need these frescoes, that this is all junk, remnants of its former greatness. We, restorers, were told: if you want, take them off and take them to museum; if you don't want to - we'll whitewash it all ... "




Ascension


Sunday


Dormition of the Virgin


Reverend Fathers


Saint


Saint


Saint


Raising Lazarus


Crucifixion


Nativity of the Virgin (with traces of the fire of the 16th century)


Snetogorsk Virgin and Child


Epiphany


The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles





The Last Judgment. Fragment. Beasts from the vision of the prophet Daniel

The Last Judgment. Fragment. Soul of Judas on the knee of the Devil


The Last Judgment. Fragment. The bosom of Abraham. The Prudent Rogue and the Fire Seraphim





The Last Judgment. Fragment. The bosom of Abraham and the prudent robber


The Last Judgment. Fragment. Apostle Peter with the keys to Paradise


Eucharist. Fragment


Evangelist (painting in sails)

On one of the walls between the windows of the central domed drum, the upper part of the mosaic figure of the Apostle Paul survived, and above the supporting arches supporting the drum of the main dome - the image of Christ in the image of the Priest and the half-lost image of the Mother of God.

Of the four mosaic images in the sails of the dome drum, only one has survived - the Evangelist Mark on the southwestern sail.

In the supporting arches of the central dome, 15 of the 30 mosaic images in the medallions of the Sebastian martyrs have been preserved. The lost mosaics were painted in oil again in the 19th century.

The central place in the interior decoration of St. Sophia of Kiev is occupied by the mosaics of its main apse. Above which there has been preserved a mosaic composition "Deesis", arranged in the form of three medallions with half-figures, and on two pillars of the eastern arch in front of the apse, a mosaic composition "Annunciation" in the form of full-length figures has been preserved: the Archangel Gabriel in the north-east and the Virgin Mary in the south. east pillars. Classical clarity, plasticity, strict proportionality, soft drawing of figures connects the works of art of St. Sophia of Kiev with the best examples of ancient art in Hellas.

A significant place in the decoration of the temple is given to mosaic ornaments that adorn the framing of the concha, the side parts of the main apse and its horizontal belts, window openings and the inner verticals of the supporting arches. Both plant motives of ornaments and purely geometric ones are used. The conch of the central apse is framed with a colorful floral ornament in the form of circles with palmettes inscribed in them, and above the slate cornice separating the figure of Oranta from the Eucharistic composition there is a very beautiful strip of purely geometric ornament. Thin white lines on a dark blue background shimmer with a mother-of-pearl effect. Other ornaments are also spectacular, each of which is original and beautiful.

The frescoes adorn the lower part of the walls of the vima and the pillars up to the slate cornice, extending beyond it only in the above marked places, three branches of the central cross, all four side-chapels and choir stalls. This main core of fresco decoration dates back to the era of Yaroslav, if not entirely, then at least in its main parts. We tend to consider the 60s of the 11th century as the upper chronological limit of the latest frescoes from this complex. As for the frescoes of the outer gallery, baptismal and towers, they already belong to a different era - to the 12th century. The question of their exact date can only be resolved after a careful analysis of their style.

Among the frescoes of Hagia Sophia, several images of non-church, secular content have been preserved. For example, two group portraits of the family of the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise and several everyday scenes - a bear hunt, performances of buffoons and acrobats.

The frescoes of St. Sophia of Kiev, like most of the monuments of this kind, have their own long and long-suffering history. This story is the clearest example of that barbaric attitude towards ancient monuments, which often found its place in the 18th and 19th centuries. and as a result of which more than one hundred outstanding works of art died.

The fate of the Kiev frescoes was continuously connected with the fate of the church of St. Sofia. As the building collapsed, its frescoes also deteriorated. They not only faded from time to time and received various mechanical damage, but also crumbled from the dampness of leaking roofs. In 1596 the cathedral was occupied by the Uniates, in whose hands it remained until 1633, when Peter Mogila took it away from the Uniates, cleaned it up and renewed it. From this time, the era of repeated refreshing of frescoes begins. In 1686 the cathedral underwent a new renovation through the efforts of Metropolitan Gideon. There is a fairly widespread belief that all the frescoes were whitewashed by the Uniates. (See, for example: N. M. Sementovsky. Decree. Cit., P. 74; S. P. Kryzhanovsky. About ancient Greek wall painting in the Kiev Sophia Cathedral. - "Northern Bee", 1843, No. 246 (2. XI), pp. 983–984; No. 247 (3.XI), pp. 987–988.)

In 1843, in the altar of the chapel of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius, the accidentally collapsed upper part of the plaster exposed traces of old fresco painting. The clerk of the cathedral, together with the priest Archpriest T. Sukhobrusov, informed the academician of painting FG Solntsev, who was at that time in Kiev to observe the renovation of the great church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, about this discovery. In September 1843 he received an audience with Nicholas I in Kiev and presented the sovereign with his brief note on the St. Sophia Cathedral. In this note, it was proposed, for the sake of preserving the famous temple "in due splendor", to free the old fresco from plaster and "but the possibility of renewing [it], and then, where it will be impossible to fulfill this, then upholster the walls and domes with copper and paint them again with the image of the ancients. sacred events of our church, especially those that took place in Kiev. " After examining the newly discovered frescoes in St. Sophia Cathedral on September 19, 1843, Nicholas I ordered that Solntsev's note be sent to the Synod, which received support there. Solntsev, who acted all the time as a major specialist in the field of restoration business and an expert on ancient Russian art, who in fact was a person not only of a pronounced bad taste, but also of very limited knowledge.

In July 1844, work began to clean the walls of new plaster and new painting that lay on top of the old frescoes. These works were carried out in the most primitive way. In total, 328 single-person wall frescoes were discovered in Sofia Kievskaya (including 108 half-lengths), and 535 were again painted (including 346 half-lengths) (Skvortsev. Op. Cit., Pp. 38, 49.)

After the "restoration" work in 1844-1853. the painting of St. Sophia of Kiev has undergone minor changes. In 1888 and 1893, in connection with the repair of the iconostasis, individual images untouched by the restoration were discovered ( 8 figures on the pillars of the triumphal arch, among them the figure of the great martyr Eustathius, 6 figures in the side chapels). (See N. I. Petrov. Historical and topographical sketches of ancient Kiev. Kiev, 1897, p. 132; N. Palmov. To the proposed restoration of the Kiev-Sophia Cathedral. - "Proceedings of the Kiev Theological Academy", 1915, April, p. 581.)

The question of new frescoes made in the 17th – 19th centuries was much easier to solve. in addition to the old ones (in the wime, the central ship and other places). Since they had nothing to do with the original iconographic system, it was decided to cover these frescoes with a neutral tone, which made it possible to more clearly identify the main architectural lines of the interior. So the ugliest "Cathedrals", "Nativity of Christ", "Meeting" and other examples of painting were hidden from the eyes of the modern viewer, which is why the inner view of St. Sophia of Kiev endlessly won. A researcher of the frescoes of St. Sophia of Kiev must always remember that they in no way stand up to comparison in terms of authenticity with mosaics.

The mosaics, especially after the last clearing, look more or less the same as they were in the 11th century. The frescoes have undergone many changes, their colors have weakened and withered from time to time, from whitewashing and from coating with hot linseed oil, which was used as a kind of primer when writing with oil (This linseed oil in many places so impregnated the surface of the old fresco that it gave it a shiny, as if polished character.); they have a lot of mechanical damage - scratches, dents, abrasions; in them, the old original recipes made by al secco have been lost quite often. To all this, it should be added that a number of frescoes have preserved (after the last restoration) later oil paintings, which, no matter how subtle they are, still distort the original form. In general, the state of preservation of the frescoes is far from the same: one comes across (albeit rarely) relatively well-preserved figures and faces, but much more often one has to deal with heavily damaged fragments. Apparently, here the decisive role was played by the "people" of Metropolitan Filaret and the "painting in the room master Focht", who mercilessly tore down the old painting. That is why the latter now looks more rustic and primitive than it was in its time. Due to the loss of the al secco formulas, the linear frame has become stronger in it, but due to the fading of paints and their saturation with drying oil, it is now perceived as more monochrome.

10 major pieces of ecclesiastical art: murals, icons and mosaics

Prepared by Irina Yazykova

1. Roman catacombs

Early christian art

Meal. Fresco from the catacombs of Peter and Marcellinus. IV century DIOMEDIA

Until the beginning of the 4th century, Christianity in the Roman Empire was persecuted, and Christians often used the catacombs for their meetings - the underground cemeteries of the Romans - in which they buried their dead in the 2nd century. Here, on the relics of the martyrs, they performed the main Christian sacrament - the Eucharist. Eucharist(Greek "thanksgiving") is a sacrament in which the true Body and true Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is taught to the believer under the guise of bread and wine., as evidenced by the images on the walls of the catacombs. The first communities, consisting of Jews, were far from the fine arts, but as the apostolic preaching spread, more and more pagans joined the Church, for whom the images were familiar and understandable. In kata combas, we can trace how Christian art was born.

In total, there are over 60 catacombs in Rome, their length is about 170 kilometers. But only a few are available today Catacombs of Priscilla, Callista, Domitilla, Peter and Marcellinus, Commodilla, kata-comba on Via Latina and others.... These underground mustache-burial vaults are galleries or corridors, within the walls of which there are tombs in the form of niches covered with slabs. Sometimes the corridors expand, forming halls - cubicles with niches for sarcophagi. On the walls and vaults of these halls, on the slabs, paintings and inscriptions have been preserved. The range of images - from primitive graffiti to complex subject and decorative compositions, similar to the Pompeian frescoes.

Early Christian art is imbued with deep symbolism. The most common symbols are a fish, an anchor, a ship, a vine, a lamb, a basket of bread, a phoenix, and others. For example, fish was perceived as a symbol of baptism and the Eucharist. One of the earliest images of a fish and a basket of bread we find in the Callistus catacombs dates back to the 2nd century. Fish also symbolized Christ himself, since the Greek word ichtyus (fish) was read by the early Christians as an acronym in which the letters unfold into the phrase “Jesus Christ the Son of God Savior” (Ἰησοὺς Χριστὸς Θεoς ῾Υιὸς Σωτήρ).

Fish and a basket of bread. A fresco from the Callista Catacombs. 2nd century Wikimedia Commons

The Good Shepherd. Fresco from the catacombs of Domitilla. III century Wikimedia Commons

Jesus Christ. A fresco from the Commodilla Catacombs. End of the 4th century Wikimedia Commons

Orpheus. Fresco from the catacombs of Domitilla. III century Wikimedia Commons

It is important to note that the image of Christ until the 4th century is hidden under various symbols and allegories. For example, the image of the Good Shepherd is often encountered - a young shepherd boy with a lamb on his shoulders, referring to the words of the Savior: "I am the good shepherd ..." (John 10:14). Another important symbol of Christ was the lamb, often depicted in a circle, with a halo around its head. And only in the IV century do images appear in which we recognize the more familiar image of Christ as the God-man (for example, in the catacombs of Commodilla).

Christians often reinterpreted pagan images as well. For example, on the vault in the ka-takambah of Domitilla, Orpheus is depicted sitting on a stone with a lyre in his hands; around him are birds and animals listening to his singing. The whole composition is inscribed in an octagon, along the edges of which there are biblical scenes: Daniel in the lion's den; Moses bringing water out of the rock; resurrection of Laza-rya. All these plots are a prototype of the image of Christ and His resurrection. So Orpheus in this context is also related to Christ, who descended into hell in order to bring out the souls of sinners.

But more often in the painting of the catacombs, Old Testament subjects were used: Noah with the ark; sacrifice of Abraham; Jacob's ladder; Jonah being devoured by a whale; Daniel, Moses, three youths in the fiery furnace and others. From the New Testament - the adoration of the Magi, the conversation between Christ and the Samaritan woman, the resurrection of Lazarus. There are many images of meals on the walls of the catacombs, which can be interpreted both as the Eucharist and as funeral meals. There are often images of people praying - orant and orant. Some female images are associated with the Mother of God. It must be said that the image of the Mother of God appears in kata-kombas earlier than the image of Christ in human form. The most ancient image of the Mother of God in the catacombs of Priscilla dates back to the 2nd century: Mary is represented here sitting with the Child in her arms, and next to her is a young man pointing to a star (different versions are expressed: the prophet Isaiah, Balaam, Mary's husband Joseph the Betrothed).

With the invasion of the barbarians and the fall of Rome, the plundering of burials begins, they stop burying in the catacombs. By order of Pope Paul I (700-767), the popes buried in the catacombs are transferred to the city and temples are built over their relics, and the catacombs are closed. So by the VIII century, the history of the catacombs ends.

2. Icon "Christ Pantokrator"

Monastery of St. Catherine on Sinai, Egypt, VI century

Monastery of St. Catherine on Sinai / Wikimedia Commons

"Christ Pantokrator" (Greek "Almighty") - the most famous icon of the preiko-noboric period Iconoclasm- a heretical movement, expressed in the denial of the veneration of icons and the persecution of them. In the period from the 8th to the 9th century, it received official recognition in the Eastern Church several times.... It is written on a blackboard using the encaustic technique Encaustic- a painting technique in which the binder of paints is wax, and not oil, as, for example, in oil painting., which has long been used in ancient art; all early icons were painted using this technique. The icon is not very large, its size is 84 × 45.5 cm, but the character of the image makes it monumental. The image is written in a free, somewhat expressive painting manner; pasty smears Pastose smear- a thick smear of undiluted paint. clearly sculpt the form, showing the volume and three-dimensionality of space. There is still no striving for flatness and conventionality, as it will be later in canonical icon painting. The artist was tasked with showing the reality of the Incarnation, and he strove to convey the maximum sensation of the human flesh of Christ. At the same time, he does not miss the spiritual side, showing in the face, especially in the look, the strength and power that instantly affects the viewer. The image of the Savior is already quite iconographically traditional and at the same time unusual. The face of Christ, framed with long hair and a beard, surrounded by a halo with a cross inscribed in it, is calm and peaceful. Christ is clothed in a dark blue tunic with a gold clave Clav- an ornament sewn in the form of a vertical strip from the shoulder to the bottom edge of the garment. and the purple cloak are the robes of the emperors. The figure is depicted up to the waist, but the niche that we see behind the Savior's back suggests that he is seated on a throne, behind which stretches the blue sky. With His right hand (right hand) Christ blesses, in his left hand he holds the Gospel in a precious frame, decorated with gold and stones.

The image is majestic, even triumphant, and at the same time unusually attractive. There is harmony in it, but it is largely based on dis-co-nence. The viewer cannot fail to notice the obvious asymmetry in the face of Christ, especially in the way the eyes are written. Researchers explain this effect in different ways. Some trace it to the traditions of ancient art, when the gods depicted one punishing eye, the other merciful. According to a more convincing version, this reflects the polemic with the Monophysites, who asserted one nature in Christ - the divine, which absorbs his human nature. And as a response to them, the artist depicts Christ, emphasizing in Him both divinity and humanity.

Apparently, this icon was painted in Constantinople and ended up in the Si-Nai monastery as a contribution of the Emperor Justinian, who was a kti-tor, that is, a donor, of the monastery. The highest quality of workmanship and theological depth of the development of the image speaks in favor of its metropolitan origin.

3. Mosaic "The Mother of God on the Throne"

Hagia Sophia - Wisdom of God, Constantinople, IX century

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul / DIOMEDIA

After a long, more than a hundred years of iconoclastic crisis, in 867, by imperial decree, the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Constantinople was again decorated with mosaics. One of the first mosaic compositions was the image of the Mother of God enthroned in a conch Concha- a semi-dome ceiling over semi-cylindrical parts of buildings, for example, apses.... It is quite possible that this image restored an earlier image that was destroyed by the icon-fighters. The Russian pilgrim from Novgorod Anthony, who visited Constantinople around 1200, left in his notes a mention of the fact that the mosaics of the altar of St. Sophia were executed by Lazarus. Indeed, the iconographer Lazarus, who suffered under the iconoclasts, lived in Constantinople, and after the Council of 843, which restored icon veneration, he received popular recognition. However, in 855 he was sent to Rome as the ambassador of Emperor Michael III to Pope Benedict III and died around 865, so he could not be the author of the Constantinople mosaic. But his fame as a victim of the iconoclasts linked this image with his name.

This image of the Mother of God is one of the most beautiful in Byzantine monumental painting. Against a golden shining background, on a throne decorated with precious stones, the Mother of God sits regally on high cushions. She holds before her the infant Christ, seated on her lap, as if on a throne. And on the sides, on the arch, there are two archangels in the vestments of courtiers, with spears and mirrors, guarding the throne. On the edge of the concha there is an inscription, almost lost: "The images that the deceivers have overthrown here have been restored by the pious rulers."

The face of the Mother of God is noble and beautiful, it does not yet have that asceticism and stupid guests that would be characteristic of later Byzantine images, there is still a lot of antique in it: a rounded oval of the face, beautifully outlined lips, a straight nose. The gaze of large eyes under the curved arches of the eyebrows is set aside a little to the side, this shows the virgin's chastity, to which the eyes of thousands of people entering the temple are fixed. In the figure of the Mother of God, there is a royal greatness and at the same time a truly feminine grace. Her robe of deep blue, adorned with three gold stars, falls in soft folds, emphasizing the monumentality of the figure. The slender hands of the Mother of God with long fingers hold the baby Christ, protecting Him and at the same time revealing to the world. The face of the baby is very lively, childishly plump, although the proportions of the body are rather adolescent, but the golden royal robe, upright posture and a blessing gesture are designed to show: before us is the true King, and He sits on Mother's lap with royal dignity.

The iconographic type of the Mother of God enthroned with the Christ Child gained special popularity in the 9th century, the post-iconoclastic era, as a symbol of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. And often it was placed precisely in the apse of the temple, marking the visible appearance of the Heavenly Kingdom and the mystery of the Incarnation. We meet him in the Church of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki, in Santa Maria in Dom Nika in Rome and elsewhere. But the masters of Constantinople developed a special type of image in which bodily beauty and spiritual beauty coincided, artistic perfection and theological depth coexisted harmoniously. In any case, the artists strove for this ideal. Such is the image of the Mother of God from Hagia Sophia, which laid the foundation for the so-called Macedonian Renaissance - this name was given to art from the middle of the 9th to the beginning of the 11th century.

4. Fresco "Resurrection"

Chora Monastery, Constantinople, XIV century


Chora Monastery, Istanbul / DIOMEDIA

The last two centuries of Byzantine art are called the Palaeologus Renaissance. This name is given by the ruling dynasty of the Palaeologus, the last in the history of Byzantium. The empire was declining, pressed by the Turks, it was losing territory, strength, power. But her art was taking off. And one of the examples of this is the image of the Resurrection from the Chora monastery.

The Constantinople monastery of Chora, dedicated to Christ the Savior, according to tradition, was founded in the 6th century by the Monk Sava the Sanctified. At the beginning of the 11th century, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos, his mother-in-law Maria Duka ordered the construction of a new temple and turned it into a royal tomb. In the XIV century, between 1316 and 1321, the temple was again rebuilt and decorated by the efforts of Theodore Metohit, the great logothete Logofet- the highest official (auditor, chancellor) of the royal or patriarchal chancellery in Byzantium. at the court of Andronik II Andronicus II Palaeologus(1259-1332) - Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 1282-1328.... (On one of the mosaics of the temple, he is depicted at the feet of Christ with the temple in his hands.)

The Chora mosaics and frescoes were created by the best masters of Constantinople and are masterpieces of late Byzantine art. But the image of the Resurrection stands out especially because the eschatological representations of the era are expressed in it in a magnificent artistic form. The composition is located on the eastern wall of the paraclesia (south aisle), where the tombs stood, which, apparently, explains the choice of theme. The interpretation of the plot is connected with the ideas of Gregory Palamas - an apologist for hesychasm and the doctrine of divine energies Hesychasm in the Byzantine monastic tradition was a special form of prayer in which the mind is silent, is in a state of hesychia, silence. The main goal of this prayer is to achieve inner illumination with a special Tabor light, the same one that the apostles saw during the Transfiguration of the Lord..

The image of the Resurrection is located on the curved surface of the apse, which enhances its spatial dynamics. In the center we see the Risen Christ in white shining clothes against the background of a dazzling blue and white mandorla Mandorla(Italian mandorla - "almond") - in Christian iconography, almond-shaped or round radiance around the figure of Christ or the Mother of God, symbolizing their heavenly glory.... His figure is like a clot of energy that spreads waves of light in all directions, dispelling darkness. The Savior crosses the abyss of hell with a wide, energetic step, one might say - flies over it, because one of his legs rests on the broken leaf of the hellish gates, and the other hangs over the abyss. The face of Christ is solemn and focused. With an imperious movement, He drags along Adam and Eve, lifting them above the graves, and they seem to soar in obscurity. To the right and to the left of Christ are the righteous, whom He brings out of the kingdom of death: John the Baptist, Kings David and Solomon, Abel and others. And in the black abyss of hell, open under the feet of the Savior, one can see chains, hooks, locks, pincers and other symbols of hellish torment, and in the same place - a bound figure: this is the defeated Satan, deprived of his strength and power. Above the Savior, in white letters on a dark background, the inscription "Anastasis" (Greek. "Resurrection").

The iconography of the Resurrection of Christ in such a version, which was also called "Descent into Hell", appears in Byzantine art in the posttiko-no-Boric era, when theological and liturgical interpretation of the image began to prevail over the historical one. In the Gospel we will not find a description of the Resurrection of Christ, it remains a mystery, but, reflecting on the mystery of the Resurrection, theologians, and after them the icon painters, created an image that shows Christ's misfortune over hell and death. And this image does not appeal to the past, as a memory of an event that occurred at a certain moment in history, it is turned to the future, as the fulfillment of the aspiration of a universal resurrection, which began with the Resurrection of Christ and entails the resurrection of all mankind ... This cosmic event is no coincidence that on the vault of paraclesia, above the composition of the Resurrection, we see the image of the Last Judgment and the angels rolling the scroll of heaven.

5. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

First third of the 12th century

The image was painted in Constantinople and brought in the 30s of the XII century as a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople to Prince Yuri Dolgo-ruky of Kiev. The icon was erected in Vyshgorod Now the regional center in the Kiev region; located on the right bank of the Dnieper, 8 km from Kiev. where she became famous for miracles. In 1155, Yuri's son Andrei Bogolyubsky took her to Vladimir, the icon was here for more than two centuries. In 1395, at the behest of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, she was brought to Moscow, to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, where she stayed until 1918, when she was taken for restoration. Now she is in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Legends about numerous miracles are associated with this icon, including the deliverance of Moscow from our Tamerlane in 1395. Before her, they elected metropolitans and patriarchs, crowned monarchs to the kingdom. Our Lady of Vladimir is revered as a talisman of the Russian land.

Unfortunately, the icon is not well preserved; according to the data of restoration work in 1918, it was rewritten many times: in the first half of the 13th century after Batyev's devastation; at the beginning of the 15th century; in 1514, in 1566, in 1896. From the original painting, only the faces of the Mother of God and the Infant Christ have survived, part of the cap and border of the cape - maforia Maforiy- a female robe in the form of a plate, covering almost the entire figure of the Mother of God. with golden assist Assist- in icon painting, strokes of gold or silver on the folds of clothes, wings of angels, on objects symbolizing reflections of Divine light., a part of Jesus' chiton with a gold assist and a shirt visible from under it, a left hand and part of a baby's right hand, the remains of a gold background with fragments of the inscription: “МР. .U ".

Nevertheless, the image retained its charm and high spiritual intensity. It is built on a combination of tenderness and strength: the Mother of God hugs the Son to her, wanting to protect him from future sufferings, and He gently presses against her cheek and hugs her neck with his hand. The eyes of Jesus are lovingly fixed on the Mother, and her eyes are looking at the viewer. And in this piercing gaze there is a whole spectrum of feelings - from pain and compassion to hope and forgiveness. This iconography, developed in Byzantium, received the name "Tenderness" in Russia, which is not quite an accurate translation of the Greek word "eleus" - "merciful", as many images of the Mother of God were called. In Byzantium, this iconography was called "Glycophilus" - "Sweet kiss".

The color of the icon (we are talking about the faces) is based on a combination of transparent ocher and color linings with tonal transitions, glazes (melts) and thin whitewash strokes of light, which creates the effect of the most delicate, almost breathing surface. The eyes of the Mother of God are especially expressive, they are painted with light brown paint, with a red brushstroke in the teardrop. Beautifully outlined lips are written in three shades of cinnabar. The face is framed by a blue cap with dark blue folds, outlined by an almost black outline. The face of the Baby is written softly, transparent ocher and toasty brown create the effect of warm soft baby skin. The lively, spontaneous expression on Jesus' face is also created by the energetic strokes of paint that sculpt the shape. All this testifies to the high skill of the artist who created this image.

The dark cherry maforium of the Mother of God and the golden tunic of the Infant God were written much later than the faces, but on the whole they fit harmoniously into the image, creating a beautiful contrast, and the overall silhouette of the figures united by hugs into a single whole is a kind of pedestal for beautiful faces.

The Vladimir icon is double-sided, external (that is, for performing various processions, processions of the cross), on the back is a throne with the instruments of passion (early 15th century). On the throne, covered with a red cloth decorated with gold ornamentation with gold borders, there are nails, a crown of thorns and a book in gold binding, and on it is a white dove with a golden halo. A cross, a spear and a cane rise above the table. If you read the image of God-te-ri in unity with the turnover, then the gentle embrace of the Mother of God and the Son becomes a prototype of the future sufferings of the Savior; clutching the Infant Christ to her chest, the Mother of God mourns His death. This is exactly how in Ancient Russia they understood the image of the Mother of God giving birth to Christ for the atoning sacrifice in the name of the salvation of mankind.

6. Icon "Savior Not Made by Hands"

Novgorod, XII century

State Tretyakov Gallery / Wikimedia Commons

The double-sided external icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands with the scene "Adoration of the Cross" on the back, a monument of pre-Mongol times, testifies to the deep assimilation of the artistic and theological heritage of Byzantium by Russian icon painters.

On a board close to a square (77x71 cm), the face of the Savior is depicted, surrounded by a halo with a crosshair. The large, wide-open eyes of Christ look slightly to the left, but at the same time the viewer feels that he is in the field of vision of the Savior. The high arches of the eyebrows are curved and accentuate the look. A bifurcated beard and long hair with a golden assist frame the face of the Savior - stern, but not stern. The image is laconic, restrained, very capacious. There is no action here, no additional details, only a face, a halo with a cross and the letters IC XC (abbreviated "Jesus Christ").

The image was created by the firm hand of an artist who owns a classic drawing. The almost perfect symmetry of the face emphasizes its importance. Restrained but refined color is built on subtle ocher transitions - from golden yellow to brown and olive, although the nuances of color are not visible in their entirety today due to the loss of the upper layers of paint. Due to the loss, traces of the image of precious stones in the crosshair of the halo and letters in the upper corners of the icon are barely visible.

The name "Savior Not Made by Hands" is associated with the legend about the first icon of Christ, created not by hands, that is, not by the hand of an artist. This legend says: King Abgar lived in the city of Edessa, he was sick with leprosy. When he heard about Jesus Christ healing the sick and raising the dead, he sent a servant for him. Unable to leave his mission, Christ nevertheless decided to help Abgar: He washed his face, wiped it with a towel, and immediately the face of the Savior was miraculously imprinted on the fabric. The servant took this towel (ubrus) to Abgar, and the king was healed.

The Church regards the image not made by hands as evidence of the Incarnation, for it reveals to us the face of Christ - God who became man and came to earth for the salvation of people. This salvation is accomplished through His atoning sacrifice, which is symbolized by the cross in the Savior's halo.

The composition on the back of the icon, which depicts a Calvary cross with a crown of thorns, is also dedicated to the atoning sacrifice of Christ. On either side of the cross are worshiping archangels with instruments of passion. On the left is Mikhail with a spear that pierced the heart of the Savior on the cross, on the right is Gavri-il with a cane and a sponge saturated with vinegar, which was given to be drunk on the crucified. Above - fiery seraphim and green-winged cherubs with ripids Ripids- liturgical objects - metal circles with the image of six-winged seraphim fixed on long handles. in the hands, as well as the sun and the moon - two faces in round medallions. Under the cross we see a small black cave, and in it are the skull and bones of Adam, the first man who, by his disobedience to God, plunged humanity into the kingdom of death. Christ, the second Adam, as the Holy Scriptures calls Him, by his death on the cross conquers death, restoring eternal life to mankind.

The icon is in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Before the revolution, it was kept in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. But initially, as Gerold Vzdornov established Gerold Vzdornov(b. 1936) - a specialist in the history of ancient Russian art and culture. Leading researcher of the State Research Institute of Restoration. Founder of the Museum of Dionysius Frescoes in Ferapontov., it comes from the Novgorod wooden church of the Holy Image, erected in 1191, now not existing.

7. Presumably, Theophanes the Greek. Icon "Transfiguration of the Lord"

Pereslavl-Zalessky, about 1403

State Tretyakov Gallery / Wikimedia Сommons

Among the works of Old Russian art in the halls of the Third-Kov Gallery, the Transfiguration icon attracts attention not only by its large size - 184 × 134 cm, but also by its original interpretation of the Gospel story. This icon was once a temple icon in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky. In 1302, Pereslavl became part of the Moscow principality, and almost a hundred years later, Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich undertook the renovation of the ancient Spassky Cathedral, built in the 12th century. And it is quite possible that he attracted to this the famous icon painter Theophanes the Greek, who had worked before in Novgorod the Great, Nizhny Novgorod and other cities. In ancient times, the icons were not signed, so the authorship of Theophanes cannot be proven, but the special handwriting of this master and his connection with the spiritual movement, called hesychasm, speaks in his favor. Hesychasm paid special attention to the theme of divine energies, or, in other words, the uncreated Tabor light, which the apostles contemplated during the Transfiguration of Christ on the mountain. Let us consider how the master creates an image of this luminous phenomenon.

We see a mountainous landscape on the icon, Jesus Christ stands on the top of the central mountain, He blesses with his right hand, and holds a scroll in his left. To the right of Him is Moses with the tablet, to the left is the prophet Elijah. At the bottom of the mountain there are three apostles, they are thrown to the ground, Jacob covered his eyes with his hand, John opened in fear, and Peter, pointing his hand at Christ, as the Gospel sheets testify, exclaims: “It is good for us here with You, let us make three booths ”(Matthew 17: 4). What amazed the apostles so much, causing a whole spectrum of emotions, from fright to excitement? This is, of course, the light that came from Christ. In Matthew we read: “And he was transformed before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white like the light” (Matthew 17: 2). And on the icon, Christ is clothed in shining garments - white with golden highlights, from Him emanates radiance in the form of a six-pointed white-gold star surrounded by a blue spherical mandorla pierced with thin golden rays. White, gold, blue - all these modifications of light create the effect of multiform radiance around the figure of Christ. But the light goes further: three rays emanate from the star, reaching each of the apostles and literally nailing them to the ground. The garments of the prophets and apostles also have reflections of bluish light. Light glides over mountains, trees, falls wherever possible, even caves are outlined with a white outline: they look like funnels from an explosion - as if the light emanating from Christ does not just illuminate, but penetrates into the earth, it transforms, changes the universe ...

The space of the icon develops from top to bottom, like a stream flowing down from a mountain, which is ready to flow into the viewer's area and involve him in what is happening. The time of the icon is the time of eternity, here everything happens at the same time. On the icon, different plans are combined: on the left, Christ and the apostles are ascending the mountain, and on the right, they are already descending from the mountain. And in the upper corners we see clouds on which the angels bring Elijah and Moses to the Mount of Transfiguration.

The icon "Transfiguration" from Pereslavl-Zalessky is a unique work, written with virtuoso skill and freedom, while here you can see an incredible depth of interpretation of the Gospel text and find their visual image those ideas that were expressed by the theorists of hesychasm - Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas , Gregory Sinait and others.

8.Andrey Rublev. Icon "Trinity"

Early 15th century

State Tretyakov Gallery / Wikimedia Commons

The image of the Holy Trinity is the pinnacle of Andrei Rublev's creativity and the pinnacle of ancient Russian art. In the "Legend of the Holy Icon Painters", compiled at the end of the 17th century, it is said that the icon was painted by order of the hegumen of the Trinity Monastery Nikon "in memory and praise to the Monk Sergius", making the contemplation of the Holy Trinity the center of its spiritual life. Andrei Rublev managed to reflect in colors the depth of the mystical experience of St. Sergius of Radonezh - the pioneer of the monastic movement, reviving the prayer-contemplative practice, which, in turn, influenced the spiritual revival of Russia in the late 14th - early 15th centuries ...

From the moment of its creation, the icon was in the Trinity Cathedral, over time it darkened, it was renovated several times, covered with gilded vestments, and for many centuries no one saw its beauty. But in 1904 a miracle happened: on the initiative of the landscape painter and collector Ilya Semenovich Ostro-ukhov, a member of the Imperial Archaeological Commission, a group of resto-gates led by Vasily Guryanov began to clear the icon. And when suddenly a cabbage roll and gold peeped out from under the dark layers, it was perceived as a phenomenon of truly paradise beauty. The icon was not cleaned then, only after the closure of the monastery in 1918 was it able to be taken to the Central Restoration Workshops, and the cleaning continued. The restoration was completed only in 1926.

The plot for the icon was the 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis, which tells how one day three travelers came to the forefather Abraham and he arranged a tra-pe-zu for them, then angels (in Greek “angelos” - “messenger, messenger”) they told Abraham that a son would be born to him, from whom a great nation would come. Traditionally, icon painters portrayed "The Hospitality of Abraham" as a everyday scene in which the viewer only guessed that three angels symbolized the Holy Trinity. Andrei Rublev, excluding everyday details, depicted only three angels as a Trinity phenomenon, revealing to us the secret of the Divine Trinity.

On a gold background (now almost lost), three angels are depicted sitting in a circle around the table on which the bowl stands. The middle angel rises above the rest, behind him grows a tree (the tree of life), behind the right angel - a mountain (the image of the mountain world), behind the left - a building (the chambers of Abraham and the image of the Divine economy, the Church). The angels' heads are bowed as if they are in silent conversation. Their faces are similar - as if it were one face, depicted three times. The composition is based on a system of concentric circles that converge in the center of the icon, where the bowl is depicted. In the bowl we see the head of a calf, a symbol of the sacrifice. Before us is a sacred meal, in which an art-food sacrifice is performed. The middle angel blesses the cup; the one sitting to his right expresses with a gesture his consent to accept the cup; the angel, located on the left hand of the central one, moves the cup to the one sitting opposite him. Andrei Rub-lev, who was called the God-seer, makes us witnesses of how in the depths of the Holy Trinity there is a council about an atoning sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. In ancient times, this image was called the "Eternal Council".

Quite naturally, the question arises for the viewer: who is who in this icon? We see that the middle angel is clothed in the clothes of Christ - a cherry tunic and a blue himation Gimatius(Old Greek. "cloth, cape") - among the ancient Greeks, outerwear in the form of a rectangular piece of cloth; usually worn over a tunic.
Chiton- a semblance of a shirt, often without sleeves. therefore, we can assume that this is the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. In this case, to the left of the viewer, an Angel is depicted, personifying the Father, his blue tunic is covered with a pinkish cloak. On the right is the Holy Spirit, the angel is clothed in blue-green clothes (green is a symbol of the spirit, the rebirth of life). This version is the most widespread, although there are other interpretations. Often, on the icons of the middle angel, a cross-shaped nimbus was depicted and IC XC was inscribed - the initials of Christ. However, the Stoglavy Cathedral of 1551 strictly forbade the depiction of the cross-shaped halos and the inscription of the name in the Trinity, explaining this by the fact that the Trinity icon does not depict the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit separately, but it is an image of the divine trinity and trinity of divine being ... Equally, each of the angels may seem to us one or another hypostasis, for, according to Saint Basil the Great, "the Son is the image of the Father, and the Spirit is the image of the Son." And when we pass our gaze from one angel to another, we see how similar they are and how different they are - the same face, but different clothes, different gestures, different postures. So the icon painter conveys the mystery of the non-fusion and inseparability of the hypostases of the Holy Trinity, the mystery of their consubstantiality. According to the definitions of the Stoglava Cathedral Stoglavy Cathedral- the church council in 1551, the decisions of the council were presented in Stoglava., the image created by Andrei Rublev is the only acceptable image of the Trinity (which, however, is not always observed).

In the image, painted in the difficult time of princely strife and the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the behest of the Monk Sergius is embodied: "The hateful discord of this world is conquered by the view of the Holy Trinity."

9. Dionysius. Icon "Metropolitan Alexy with his life"

End XV - early XVI century

State Tretyakov Gallery / Wikimedia Commons

The hagiographic icon of Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, was written by Dionysius, who for his skill was called by his contemporaries "the notorious philosopher" (famous, glorified). The most common dating of the icon is the 1480s, when the new Assumption Cathedral in Moscow was built and consecrated, for which Dionysius was commissioned to two icons of Moscow saints - Alexy and Peter. However, a number of researchers attribute the painting of the icon to the beginning of the 16th century on the basis of its style, in which the classic expression of the skill of Dionysius was found, most fully manifested in the painting of the Ferapontov Monastery.

Indeed, it can be seen that the icon was painted by a mature master who owns both the mono-mental style (the size of the icon is 197 × 152 cm) and miniature writing, which is noticeable in the example of the stamps Brands- small compositions with a self-sustaining plot, located on the icon around the central image - the centerpiece.... This is a hagiographic icon, where the image of the saint in the centerpiece is surrounded by stamps with scenes from his life. The need for such an icon could have arisen after the rebuilding of the Cathedral of the Chudov Monastery in 1501-1503, the founder of which was Metropolitan Alexy.

Metropolitan Alexy was an outstanding personality. He came from the boyar clan Byakontov, was tonsured at the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow, then became Metropolitan of Moscow, played a prominent role in the government under Ivan Ivanovich the Red (1353-1359), and under his young son, Dmitry Ivanovich, later nicknamed Donskoy (1359-1389). Possessing the gift of a diplomat, Alexy managed to establish peaceful relations with the Horde.

In the centerpiece of the icon, Metropolitan Alexy is shown full-length, in solemn liturgical vestments: a red sakkos Sakkos- long, loose clothes with wide sleeves, liturgical vestments of the bishop. decorated with golden crosses in green circles, on top of which hangs a white epitrachilus with crosses Stole- a part of the vestments of the priests, worn around the neck under the robe and a strip going down to the bottom. This is a symbol of the priest's grace, and without it the priest does not perform any of the divine services., on the head - a white cockle Doll- the upper vestment of a monk who has assumed the great schema (the highest degree of monastic renunciation) in the form of a pointed hood with two long stripes of matter covering the back and chest.... With his right hand, the saint blesses, in his left he holds the Gospel with a red edge, standing on a light green trim (scarf). The color of the icon is dominated by white, against the background of which many different tones and shades stand out brightly - from cold green-new and bluish, pale pink and ocher-yellow to bright spots of flashing scarlet cinnabar. All this multicolor makes the icon festive.

The centerpiece is framed with twenty hallmarks of the life, which should be read from left to right. The order of the hallmarks is as follows: the birth of Eleutherius, the future Metropolitan Alexy; bringing the youth into the teaching; the dream of Eleutherius, foreshadowing his vocation as a shepherd (according to the Life of Alexy, during his sleep he heard the words: "I will create thee a fisher of men"); the tonsure of Eleutherius and the naming of the name Alexy; the appointment of Alexy to the bishop of the city of Vladimir; Alexy in the Horde (he stands with a book in his hands in front of the khan sitting on the throne); Alexy asks Sergius of Radonezh to give his [Sergius] disciple Andronicus to become hegumen in the Spassky (later Andronikov) Monastery founded by him in 1357; Alexy blesses Andronicus for abbess; Alexy prays at the tomb of Metropolitan Peter before leaving for the Horde; the khan meets Alexy in the Horde; Alexy heals Khansha Taidula from blindness; The Moscow prince with the boy-rams meets Alexy on his return from the Horde; Alexy, sensing the approach of death, invites Sergius of Radonezh to become his successor, Metropolitan of Moscow; Alexy prepares his own tomb in the Chudov Monastery; the repose of St. Alexis; gaining relics; further, the miracles of the Metropolitan - the miracle of the deceased baby, the miracle of the lame monk Nahum, and others.

10. Icon "John the Baptist - Angel of the Desert"

1560s

Central Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art named after Andrey Rublev / icon-art.info

The icon comes from the Trinity Cathedral of the Stefano-Makhrishchi monastery near Moscow, now it is in the Central Museum of Old Russian Culture named after Andrei Rublev. The size of the icon is 165.5 × 98 cm.

The iconography of the image seems unusual: John the Baptist is depicted with angelic wings. This is a symbolic image revealing his special mission as a messenger (“angelos” in Greek means “messenger, messenger”), prophet and forerunner of the Messiah (Christ). The image goes back not only to the Gospel, where great attention was paid to John, but also to the prophecy of Malachi: “Behold, I will send My Angel, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Ml. 3: 1). Like the prophets of the Old Testament, John called for repentance, he came just before the coming of Christ to prepare the way for Him (“Forerunner” means “walking ahead”), and the words of the prophet Isaiah were also referred to him: “ A voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his ways ”(Isa. 40: 3).

John the Baptist appears dressed in a hair shirt and a himation, with a scroll and a cup in his hand. On the scroll there is an inscription made up of fragments of his sermon: “Behold, and testimonies about me, that this is the Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world. Repent nearer, dashing the Kingdom of Heaven, already the ax lies at the root of the tree, for all the tree is cut off ”(John 1:29; Matt. 3: 2, 10). And as an illustration of these words - right there, at the feet of the Baptist, an ax is depicted at the root of a tree, one branch of which is cut down, and the other turns green. This is a symbol of the Last Judgment, showing that the time is near and soon there will be a judgment on this world, the Heavenly Judge will punish sinners. At the same time, in the bowl we see the head of John, a symbol of his martyrdom, which he endured for his preaching. The death of the Forerunner prepared the atoning sacrifice of Christ, which gives salvation to sinners, and therefore John blesses those who pray with his right hand. In the face of John, ascetic, with deep furrows of wrinkles, torment and compassion are visible.

The background of the icon is dark green, which is very typical for icon painting of this time. John's ocher wings resemble flashes of fire. In general, the color of the icon is gloomy, which conveys the spirit of the times - heavy, full of fears, bad signs, but also hope for salvation from above.

In Russian art, the image of John the Baptist - the Angel of the Desert has been known since the 14th century, but it becomes especially popular in the 16th century, in the era of Ivan the Terrible, when the still-yang moods in society also grow. John the Baptist was the heavenly patron of Ivan the Terrible. The Stefano-Makhrishchi monastery enjoyed a special patronage of the king, which is confirmed by the monastic inventories containing information about the numerous royal contributions made in the 1560s-70s. Among these contributions was this icon.

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The total size of the fresco of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is half a football field!

We have already talked about how the architect Filippo Brunelleschi created a unique dome in Florence, and this dome still remains the largest brick dome in the world. But who painted the inner surface of this dome with such unusual frescoes?
The frescoes inside the giant dome were created by the same Florentine artist and architect Giorgio Vasari, who, commissioned by Cosimo I Medici, designed and built a unique one, stretching over squares and streets, as well as over a bridge from one bank of the Arno River to the other and connecting two palaces - Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza Senoria and Palazzo Pitti.
Immediately after the construction of the corridor in 1565, Vasari received an order from Cosimo I de Medici to paint the dome, which he completed starting in 1572, but did not manage to complete the work, which, after the death of Vasari (1574), was completed by Federico Zucarro.
The total area of ​​the frescoes on the dome is about 3,600 sq. meters, and this is half of the football field. The plot was the Last Judgment.


The devil devouring sinners is a clear influence of Bosch. Source http://24.media.tumblr.com/

It should be recalled here that long before the time of Cosimo Medici and Giorgio Vasari, the great Florentine Dante Alighieri described in detail and vividly the pictures of Hell in the first part of The Divine Comedy, and Dante and his main book were so revered in Florence that he himself is depicted in a huge painting, occupying an honorable place in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and the same picture depicts Florence, as well as the "three kingdoms" described by Dante, that is, Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Of course, Vasari's frescoes were supposed to develop those ideas that are associated with Dante's book. In addition, in Florence, they were familiar with the paintings of the Last Judgment, created by Bosch, and these paintings are much more terrible than Dante's stories. Giotto (the second architect of the Cathedral, who built the campanilla and was buried in Santa Maria del Fiore), Botticelli and Michelangelo wrote their "Last Judgments". This was the context that Vasari took into account.


The central fresco of the dome. The eastern part of the fresco (above the altar opposite the entrance). In the center of the third tier - Jesus, the Mother of God, around the Saints. All five rows of the fresco are clearly visible. Source http://st.depositphotos.com/

Nevertheless, he managed to create something that amazed contemporaries and shocked tourists. The fact is that Vasari painted frescoes in the spirit of the best traditions of the Renaissance, that is, his sinners, taking Hell's torment, and even their tormentors look, if not realistic, then in any case, very similar to the characters of ancient myths, as they appear on the canvases Florentine artists. It turns out a kind of aesthetic illustration of what is happening in Hell, moreover, convincing of the authenticity of the events depicted. In addition, in some sinners you can recognize some of Vasari's contemporaries, and they suffer in accordance with the earthly sins that the Florentines were talking about at that time.
One of these shocking fragments is the depiction of the scene of the punishment of a libertine and a sodomite. A certain character, similar to a devil, burns an intimate place for the harlot with fire on a long handle, and another tailed servant of Satan cauterizes the supporter of same-sex love that place below the back, which is associated with his sin.



All frescoes are divided into 5 rows, or tiers, each of which consists of 8 episodes (which is predetermined by the octagonal shape of the dome). The bottom row depicts sins, sinners and their punishment in Hell. The second row from the bottom is filled, in contrast, with images of Virtues, Beatitudes and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The third row - the compositional center of the entire painting of the dome - is given to images of Christ, the Mother of God and the Saints. The fourth row from the bottom, located already near the hole in the center of the dome, is occupied by Angels with the instruments of the Passion of Christ (this is the bowl in which Pilate washed his hands, passing the fate of Jesus at the disposal of his tormentors; 30 pieces of silver received by Judas; the pillar to which Jesus was tied during the time of the scourging; the crown of thorns; the cross on which Jesus was crucified; the nails that pierced the flesh of the Son of God; the spear with which the Roman legionary Longinus finished off Jesus, ending his torment; the grail, in this case representing the cup in which the blood of Jesus was collected; the ladder , which was used when removing the body of Jesus from the cross; the shroud in which the dead body was wrapped and on which traces were imprinted; as well as other instruments of the Passion of Christ). Finally, in the uppermost row, which is also the smallest in size, since it adjoins the opening in the top of the dome, there are the Elders of the Apocalypse, about whom the Book of Revelation prophesying about the Last Judgment says: “And around the throne there are twenty-four thrones; and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders, who were clothed in white garments and had crowns of gold on their heads. " Since there are only eight sectors of the dome, and in the upper tier they are quite close, Vasari depicts the elders in three, with one of each three in the foreground, and two, as it were, look out from behind the left and right shoulders of the central figure.
After the death of Vasari and Cosimo I, the new ruler of Florence, Francesco I, invited the artist Federico Zucarro to complete the interior painting of the dome, and in fulfillment of the will of the sovereign in the third tier, the eastern part of which (above the altar and opposite the entrance) is occupied by Jesus and the Mother of God, and the neighboring sectors - Saints, also portrayed the "redeemed", that is, those who contributed to the prosperity of Florence and the construction of the Cathedral and thus, as proclaimed, atoned for sins, which allows you to go straight to Paradise, bypassing Purgatory. Moreover, the sense of proportion has completely denied both Francesco I himself and the artist Zucarro, who depicted among the "redeemed" Medici, the Emperor, the King of France, Vasari and other artists, as well as himself and even his family and friends.
The frescoes of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, from their inception to the present day, have caused a lot of controversy. Someone says that this is a frank political order, and therefore cannot be considered a masterpiece and a monument. Others argue that the painting of any large temple was made to order, and that the frescoes by Vasari and Zucarro express the peculiar spirit of that Late Renaissance, which the Dutch explorer Huizinga wittily and aptly called "The Autumn of the Middle Ages." Be that as it may, the interior painting of the dome was restored in 1978-1994, and 11 billion lire was spent on this, although this caused indignation and protests of some Florentines.