This monumental icon is divided into five uneven horizontal zones. In the uppermost zone, which is made up of several parts, is heavenly Jerusalem with figures of the church fathers. At the top center, two angels unfold a scroll with representations of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Below the scroll sits God the Father surrounded by the orders of angels called seraphim and cherubim. On the right is Christ, being blessed by God the Father. To the right of that, Christ, against a red background, stands before the throne of God the Father. Farther to the right, Christ is placed to the right of God the Father. Below them, the Archangel Michael smites the devils, who fall headlong from heaven. In the next zone, Christ sits in judgment, flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, pleading for humanity. To the left and right are rows of apostles. Behind them are rows of angels. The throne of the millennium attended by two angels appears in the third zone. On the left are prophets, martyrs, and saintly women. On the right, Moses, having descended from Heaven, leads those who do not recognize Christ. In the fourth zone, beneath the throne, are the scales on which angels and devils weigh the deeds of a man standing before them. Emerging from the jaws of Hell is the wriggling serpent symbolizing evil. In the fifth zone are scenes of the tortures of Hell, as well as scenes of death in which the forces of good and evil vie for the souls of the dying.
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Moscow School, The Georgian Mother of God
The Virgin is always known in an icon context as the Mother of God. By tradition, a large icon of the Mother of God and the Christ Child is placed on the first register of the iconostasis, to the left of the Royal Gates. The Mother of God is depicted in the traditional pose of the Hodigitria, Greek for “pointer of the way.” Here, the Virgin gestures with her right hand to the Christ Child as being “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” The letters on either side of the Virgin’s head mean “Mary, Mother of God,” and the letters above Christ’s halo, IC SC, stand for Jesus Christ.
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Novgorod School, The Royal Gates
The Royal Gates, originally set in the center of an iconostasis, were so-called because the priests (the earthly representatives of Christ, the King of Glory) enter through the gates to approach the altar. In a church setting they are opened during various parts of the divine service. When closed, the doors depict the annunciation to the Virgin Mary that she is to become the mother of God, and the four panels below depict the four evangelists, or authors of the Gospels, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Novgorod School, Deisis: The Savior Enthroned, the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Michael, St. John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel,
The Savior Enthroned occupies the center of the iconostasis. He holds a closed Gospel in one hand and raises the other in blessing. Selected saints occupy the upper corners. Six additional panels, also tempera on wood, depict the Apostle Peter, the Archangel Michael, the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel, and the Apostle Paul. Not that the Apostles Peter and Paul are not on display. They are arranged on either side of the central panel in a prayerful movement toward the Savior on his throne.
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Moscow School, Saint Basil with Scenes from His Life
Audio content not currently available.Saint Basil, a fourth-century archbishop and Doctor of the Church, established the basis of monastic life in the Eastern church. He was the leader of a sect of orthodox believers and was active in helping the needy. He built a hospice and a large complex to minister to the sick and attracted huge crowds with his preaching.In this icon he is shown full-length with a Gospel book in his left hand; his right is raised in a two-fingered blessing. A three-quarter-length figure of Christ is depicted in a roundel above his right hand; another of the Blessed Mother appears in a roundel above the Gospel. Fourteen scenes of Saint Basil's life surround the main figure. The size of this icon suggests that it once hung on a church wall.
Moscow School, The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Ascension of Christ took place on the Mount of Olives, and in this icon the figures are set against a hilly landscape studded with olive trees. The Virgin is flanked by the twelve Apostles. Behind her stand two angels, dressed in white, pointing toward Christ, who is carried heavenward. The concentric circles bearing Christ symbolize the holy world that he is about to enter. The title of the icon is printed in Cyrillic characters in the upper corners.The Timken Ascension is a product of the Moscow school of the sixteenth century. Originally rectangular, this icon was refashioned into a circular shape. Circular icons became popular at the beginning of the eighteenth century, when Peter I began his Westernization of Russia. At a later time, the round icon was restored to its present rectangular shape by a new addition, probably cut from an old icon. This could possibly have been in the mid-nineteenth century or later, when Russia began to turn once more to its own cultural heritage.
