Dormition Holy Mother of God: iconography of the holiday in the art of Byzantium and Ancient Rus'
The Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is bright and joyful for every Christian. On the day of the blessed death of the Mother of God, all humanity found a Prayer Book and Heavenly Intercessor, an Intercessor before the Lord. The significance of this great celebration is determined by the church charter - this feast of the Mother of God does not have four ordinary days of after-feast, but eight, the same as one of the greatest lordly feasts - Epiphany. The event being celebrated is preceded by strict fasting, which ranks first after Lent in terms of the degree of abstinence.
Reliable information about the history of the Feast of the Assumption begins only at the end of the 6th century. It is generally accepted that it was installed under the Byzantine Emperor of Mauritius (592–602). Apparently, until this time, the Dormition was a local, not a general church holiday in Constantinople. Confirmation of the Dormition in church calendar contributed to the growing veneration of the Mother of God, which could not be shaken by the emerging heresies, including Nestorianism.The Gospel says nothing about the earthly life of the Mother of God after the Ascension of the Savior. Information about Her last days preserved church tradition. That is why the iconographic sources for the images of the Dormition in Byzantium, the Balkans and Ancient Rus' were widespread apocryphal legends: “The Word of John the Theologian on the Dormition of the Theotokos”, “The Word of John, Archbishop of Thessalonica”, as well as the oldest holiday word on the Dormition of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Modest ( † 632), Words of Saints Andrew of Crete, Patriarch Herman of Constantinople and three Words of Saint John of Damascus (all - VIII century). The legends about the Assumption that have existed for a long time are not the same in scope and differ in details.
The formation of mature iconography of the Dormition dates back to the post-iconoclastic era. Two ivory plates date back to the end of the 10th century - for the setting of the Gospel of Emperor Otto III from the Bavarian Library in Munich and a plaque from the Metropolitan Museum in New York (ill. 1). The general composition of the Assumption scene in both monuments will become traditional for the art of Byzantium and Ancient Rus'. The Mother of God is depicted in the center on a bed, on either side of Her are the weeping apostles, behind the bed stands the Savior with the soul of the Mother of God, depicted in the form of a swaddled baby. In some Balkan monuments (frescoes of the Church of the Ascension in the Žiča monastery, 1309–1316; frescoes of the Church of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” in the Peć Patriarchate, c. 1335), the soul of the Virgin Mary in shrouds will be depicted with wings.The composition has been found in icon painting since the 11th century (an icon from the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai), and has been part of the festive epistiles since the end of the 11th century (Deesis, twelve apostles and twelve feasts from the same monastery).
The Dormition of the Mother of God, like the Resurrection of Christ, symbolized the trampling of death and the resurrection to the life of the next century. The images of the Assumption have a complex liturgical interpretation. Thus, the bed with the body of the Mother of God is clearly likened to the throne in the temple, and the arrangement of the apostles in two groups, headed by Peter and Paul, on either side of it - their presence at the Eucharist and communion under two types. Christ behind the bed was the image of a bishop at a meal. The image in some monuments of the Apostle Peter with a censer in his hand indicated, perhaps, the incense of the holy gifts in the liturgy, and the image of the Apostle John falling to the bed of the Virgin Mary indicated a priest kissing the throne. Often in the Assumption scene two or four bishops were depicted, along with the apostles standing before the Mother of God. These images of saints Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy of Ephesus and James, brother of the Lord, according to legend, who were present at the Dormition of the Mother of God, symbolized the bishop’s communion of the priests in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The angels who fly to Christ in the scenes of the Assumption with covered hands, as if to receive the holy gifts, seem to serve at the liturgy as deacons. According to tradition, the Dormition was depicted as an event taking place in the house of John the Theologian in Jerusalem - in the Zion Upper Room, where the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles had previously taken place. The stage is usually surrounded by architectural buildings.
Around the 11th century, an expanded version of the iconography of the Assumption, the so-called “cloud type,” became widespread. At the top of the composition (for example, in the fresco from the Church of Hagia Sophia in Ohrid, Macedonia) the apostles are depicted flying to the bed of Our Lady on the clouds. According to the “Word of John the Theologian,” the apostles whom Holy Virgin wished to see before His death, were miraculously raptured by angels from different countries and brought to Jerusalem, and the apostles Andrew, Philip, Luke and Simon Thaddeus were awakened from their graves.The oldest example of a “cloud Assumption” in Rus' is an icon from the early 13th century, coming from the Novgorod Desyatinny Monastery (now in the State Tretyakov Gallery) (ill. 2). At the top of the icon there is a blue semicircular segment of the sky with golden stars and figures of angels carrying away the soul of the Mother of God. A rare and touching iconographic detail of this icon is the red shoes standing at the foot of the Mother of God’s bed. This is a symbol of Her leaving the earthly path.
Most often, one or more burning candles are depicted at the bed of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing a prayer to the Lord. On the Pskov icon of the Dormition of the first quarter of the 14th century (Fig. 3), a jug-stamna inserted into a bowl is depicted near the bed - this is one of the poetic symbols of the Mother of God, found in Byzantine and Old Russian hymnography. The Blessed Virgin is likened to a golden barrel containing manna from heaven, made at the command of Moses. The closest iconographic analogy to the icon in question is the fresco of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration Monastery in Pskov (mid-12th century) (ill. 4). In both monuments, the general composition and poses of the apostles are repeated; the stage is flanked by high chambers, inside of which the weeping women of Jerusalem are depicted. However, on the icon the apostles do not have halos, and the “glory” - the mandorla of Christ - is held by the angels surrounding it.
In the 15th century, icons of the Dormition were widely distributed in Rus', depicting the miracle of the cutting off of the hands of the wicked Jew Authonia (Athonia, in some sources - Jephonia) by an angel in the foreground, in front of the bed. Perhaps the popularity of the plot at that time and in the 16th century was associated with the fight against heretical movements. For the first time this plot was recorded in the fresco of the Church of Panagia Mavriotissa in Kastoria (the turn of the 12th–13th centuries), and in ancient Russian art– in the frescoes of the Snetogorsk Monastery and the Church of the Assumption on Volotovo Field.
In Russian icons of the Assumption of the second half of the 15th century - from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (c. 1479), from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1497, now in the Tretyakov Gallery), from the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov (late 15th century, now in the Andrei Rublev Museum) - a detailed iconographic diagram is presented. The apostles are depicted traveling on clouds, at the bed of the Mother of God are the sobbing women of Jerusalem, apostles and angels, in the foreground is the scene of the cutting off of the hands of Auphonia. The upper part of the icon depicts the heavens opening, to which the Mother of God is lifted up by angels in “glory.” This detail is interpreted in the “Word on the Dormition” of St. Andrew of Crete: “The door of the heavenly gates rose to receive heavenly kingdom... The Heavenly Door of God." Examining the icon from the Assumption Cathedral (ill. 5), E. Ya. Ostashenko notes the design and color of the “glory” of the ascending Mother of God, which has no analogues in other monuments. Instead of the traditional blue hues here, the outer outline of the "glory" is made up of two shades of red, while the inner parts include a radiance with short rays. Apparently, the red color of “glory” and the rays inside it are associated with a number of poetic images of the Mother of God, for example, with the image of the “Woman clothed with the sun” (Rev. 12: 1) and the image of the Church, which was clothed with the “Sun of Truth - Christ.” A special feature of the above-mentioned icon of the Assumption of 1497 from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is the depiction of the episode with the Mother of God presenting her belt to the Apostle Thomas. According to one of the legends about the Assumption, Thomas arrived late, when the Mother of God was already ascending to heaven, and received the belt from Her hands. Having joined the rest of the apostles, he told them about his meeting with the Mother of God, thereby testifying to Her ascension to heaven.Along with the developed and detailed iconographic types discussed above, a short version of the iconography of the Assumption was also widespread at the same time. Thus, the Russian Museum houses Novgorod icon XV century (ill. 6), on which there are no images of angels flying on clouds of the apostles and traditional figures of the apostles at the bed of the Mother of God. The overall composition of the icon is distinguished by extreme laconicism - only the Savior Himself and two saints stand before the Mother of God. At the top of the icon are the half-figures of St. John the Baptist and St. Archdeacon Stephen. This is connected either with the dedication of the altars of the church from which the icon comes, or with the desire of the customer of the icon to see the patron saints of his family on the image of the Dormition.
The icon of the Assumption from the mid-16th century from the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve stands out with an interesting iconographic feature. If in all the monuments discussed above, Christ was most often depicted frontally, holding the soul of the Mother of God with both hands, then here He is presented in a spread, blessing the Mother of God with his right hand, lying on the bed. This detail appears to appear in the “cloud” version of the Assumption in the first half of the 16th century and spread widely in the 16th–17th centuries. The Savior is also represented blessing the Mother of God on a 16th-century icon from the collection of the Russian Museum (ill. 7). It also depicts the ascension of the Mother of God, sitting on a throne, to the open gates of heaven, behind which are visible the angelic ranks, the Heavenly city (in the form of a cruciform tower) and several trees of paradise.The placement of the Assumption scene in church paintings in the 16th century was also associated with heavenly symbolism. Thus, in the decoration of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and the Assumption Cathedral in Sviyazhsk, this plot is placed above the altar conch, which allows us to interpret this composition based on ideas about the symbolism of the altar space as a heavenly, heavenly place.
In the 17th century, monumental temple icons of the Assumption appeared, accompanied by stamps in which the “Tale of the Assumption” was illustrated. Thus, on the 1658 icon from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the stamps depict the prayer of the Mother of God before her death, the farewell of the Mother of God to her loved ones, the journey of the apostles, their conversation with the Mother of God and other scenes. Detailed story about the Dormition of the Virgin Mary ends with the image of the Mother of God on a bed in the Garden of Eden. The same story about the Assumption is contained in the stamps of the Assumption icon of the late 17th century from the Andrei Rublev Museum (ill. 8). In the last mark, the Mother of God, as in the traditional iconography of the Assumption, is depicted lying on a throne, behind and in front of him are two burning candles. Not only the apostles stand at the bed of the Mother of God - in the lower right corner the Old Testament righteous are depicted bowing, among them the prophets David and Daniel can be noted. The presence of the Old Testament righteous at the Dormition of the Mother of God, as well as the prudent thief with a cross standing behind Mary’s bed, directly indicates that the event depicted in the icon takes place not on earth, but in heaven, or rather, in paradise. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the subject of the stamp in question is written on a white background. It was this color that, from the very birth of Christian art, symbolized paradise, as A. N. Ovchinnikov writes about this: “Any image on a white background should be understood as participation in paradise.”
The iconography of the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary does not, unlike most of the twelve feasts, have a basis in Holy Scripture. All events associated with the death, resurrection and subsequent ascension of the Mother of God are based on apocryphal legends, which, however, do not contradict Orthodox dogma. And, as often happens, from all the available information the Church itself selects what is most consistent with its Tradition and cuts off everything unnecessary. The same is true with iconography.
Miniature from the Gospel of Emperor Nikephoros II Phocas. XI century
The composition of the icon of the Assumption is divided by a mental horizontal line into two semantic parts.
At the bottom there is the body of the deceased Mother of God on his deathbed, surrounded by the mourning apostles. At the top, Christ is present with the soul of His Most Pure Mother in his arms, surrounded by triumphant angels.
Below is earthly sorrow, above is the joy of the next century. This is exactly how - from bottom to top - we will try to examine and “read” the icon of the Assumption.
So, in the icon we see the body of the Mother of God reclining on a bed. The bed is draped in purple. It is worth remembering that in the Byzantine tradition, purple is an exceptional symbol of imperial dignity.
Just like the foot of the bed - the so-called “rota”, a luxuriously decorated purple stand edged with gold, precious stones and pearls, also one of the attributes of imperial power.
On some icons of the Assumption, the discarded purple shoes of the Mother of God also stand on this stand - they are also imperial regalia.
This is exactly how Byzantine artists symbolically depicted the august dignity of the Queen of Heaven, and this is typical exclusively for Eastern Church.
In the West, they did not really understand the intricacies of the Byzantine court ceremonial and depicted the Mother of God with more specific royal symbols - a crown, a scepter, etc.
The body of the Virgin Mary is depicted in familiar clothes. The head is surrounded by a halo, and this is no coincidence. After all, according to the teachings of the Church, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and after the general resurrection they will again be reunited with souls for eternal life.
The mourning apostles are gathered around the bier. The Apostle Peter, with a censer in his hand, burns incense on the body of the Most Pure One.
The Apostle John in grief falls to his very bed - after all, it was to him that the Lord on the cross bequeathed the care of His Mother: “Jesus, seeing the Mother and the disciple standing here, whom he loved, said to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son. Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother! And from that time on this disciple took Her to himself” (John 19:26-27).
The postures and gestures of the apostles speak of quiet grief, devoid of violent manifestations. Right there in the crowd we see two people in holy omophorions - these are Dionysius the Areopagite and Jacob, the brother of the Lord, who were present in the house of the Mother of God according to legend.
Sometimes the icon also contains church writers - creators of liturgical texts who most fully revealed the meaning of the Feast of the Assumption. That is, without being physically present at the event itself, they seemed to contemplate it with their mind’s eye, which gave them the opportunity to describe it so deeply and vividly.
Bone carving. Byzantium. Constantinople. X century
Above all this rises the majestic figure of Christ. To emphasize this majesty, Byzantine iconographers often depict the Savior larger than other characters.
In his hands he holds the soul of His Most Pure Mother, who is depicted in the form of a swaddled baby. This is a transparent symbol of birth in eternal life. This is victory over death. After all, the very name of the holiday (dormition) - in Greek “κοίμησις” - means “sleepy state.” The death of a Christian is just a dream, just a temporary state.
But just from a human perspective, this is a very touching image: the Almighty holds in his arms the One who once held Him in her arms in earthly life.
Icon. About 1200. Novgorod
According to one legend, all the apostles from all over the world were simultaneously transferred to Jerusalem on the eve of Mary’s repose. And some icons represent this journey, in which the apostles are depicted in the clouds. Or some household details are added, such as candles by the bed.
Or, symbolic images, for example, a stamna (jug), which is an allusion to hymnography glorifying the Mother of God: it is based on the Old Testament prototypes of the Mother of God, which is the vessel (stamna) of Moses.
Moses himself and other prophets may be present, who in one way or another spoke about the Mother of God in prototypes.
There may also be weeping Jerusalem women or the apocryphal character Auphonius, a Jew who tried to take Mary's body from the apostles in order to burn it.
Usually the moment is depicted when Auphonia boldly stretches out her hands to the bed of the Mother of God, which are cut off by an angel.
There may also be additional details at the top of the icon - for example, Christ may be surrounded by a symbolic sphere, emphasizing His glory.
The scene of the ascension of the Mother of God by angels and the opened heavenly gates can be shown, which illustrates the “Word on the Dormition” by Andrei of Crete: “The door of the heavenly gates has risen in order to receive into the heavenly kingdom... the Most Heavenly Door of God.”
There may be a lot of details, but the basis is always simple and concise and, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the fathers 7th Ecumenical Council, visually reveals the event being described - the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
The Gospel says nothing about the earthly life of the Mother of God after the Ascension of the Savior. Information about Her last days was preserved by church tradition. That is why the iconographic sources for the images of the Dormition in Byzantium, the Balkans and Ancient Rus' were widespread apocryphal legends: “The Word of John the Theologian on the Dormition of the Theotokos”, “The Word of John, Archbishop of Thessalonica”, as well as the oldest holiday word on the Dormition of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Modest ( † 632), Words of Saints Andrew of Crete, Patriarch Herman of Constantinople and three Words of Saint John of Damascus (all - VIII century). The legends about the Assumption that have existed for a long time are not the same in scope and differ in details.
The formation of mature iconography of the Dormition dates back to the post-iconoclastic era. Two ivory plates date back to the end of the 10th century - for the setting of the Gospel of Emperor Otto III from the Bavarian Library in Munich and a plaque from the Metropolitan Museum in New York (ill. 1). The general composition of the Assumption scene in both monuments will become traditional for the art of Byzantium and Ancient Rus'. The Mother of God is depicted in the center on a bed, on either side of Her are the weeping apostles, behind the bed stands the Savior with the soul of the Mother of God, depicted as a swaddled baby. In some Balkan monuments (frescoes of the Church of the Ascension in the Žiča monastery, 1309-1316; frescoes of the Church of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” in the Patriarchate of Peć, c. 1335), the soul of the Virgin Mary in shrouds will be depicted with wings.The composition has been found in icon painting since the 11th century (an icon from the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai), and has been part of the festive epistiles since the end of the 11th century (Deesis, twelve apostles and twelve feasts from the same monastery).
The Dormition of the Mother of God, like the Resurrection of Christ, symbolized the trampling of death and the resurrection to the life of the next century. The images of the Assumption have a complex liturgical interpretation. Thus, the bed with the body of the Mother of God is clearly likened to the throne in the temple, and the arrangement of the apostles in two groups, headed by Peter and Paul, on either side of it - their presence at the Eucharist and communion under two types. Christ behind the bed was the image of a bishop at a meal. The image in some monuments of the Apostle Peter with a censer in his hand indicated, perhaps, the incense of the holy gifts in the liturgy, and the image of the Apostle John falling to the bed of the Virgin Mary indicated a priest kissing the throne. Often in the Assumption scene two or four bishops were depicted, along with the apostles standing before the Mother of God. These images of saints Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy of Ephesus and James, brother of the Lord, according to legend, who were present at the Dormition of the Mother of God, symbolized the bishop’s communion of the priests in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The angels who fly to Christ in the scenes of the Assumption with covered hands, as if to receive the holy gifts, seem to serve at the liturgy as deacons. According to tradition, the Dormition was depicted as an event taking place in the house of John the Theologian in Jerusalem - in the Zion Upper Room, where the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles had previously taken place. The stage is usually surrounded by architectural buildings.
Around the 11th century, an expanded version of the iconography of the Assumption, the so-called “cloud type,” became widespread. At the top of the composition (for example, in the fresco from the Church of Hagia Sophia in Ohrid, Macedonia) the apostles are depicted flying to the bed of Our Lady on the clouds. According to the “Word of John the Theologian,” the apostles, whom the Blessed Virgin wished to see before Her death, were miraculously raptured by angels from different countries and brought to Jerusalem, and the apostles Andrew, Philip, Luke and Simon Thaddeus were awakened from their graves.The oldest example of a “cloud Assumption” in Rus' is an icon from the early 13th century, coming from the Novgorod Tithe Monastery (now in the State Tretyakov Gallery) (ill. 2). At the top of the icon there is a blue semicircular segment of the sky with golden stars and figures of angels carrying away the soul of the Mother of God. A rare and touching iconographic detail of this icon is the red shoes standing at the foot of the Mother of God’s bed. This is a symbol of Her leaving the earthly path.
Most often, one or more burning candles are depicted at the bed of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing a prayer to the Lord. On the Pskov icon of the Dormition of the first quarter of the 14th century (Fig. 3), a jug-stamna inserted into a bowl is depicted near the bed - this is one of the poetic symbols of the Mother of God, found in Byzantine and Old Russian hymnography. The Blessed Virgin is likened to a golden barrel containing manna from heaven, made at the command of Moses. The closest iconographic analogy to the icon in question is the fresco of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration Monastery in Pskov (mid-12th century) (ill. 4). In both monuments, the general composition and poses of the apostles are repeated; the stage is flanked by high chambers, inside of which the weeping women of Jerusalem are depicted. However, on the icon the apostles do not have halos, and the “glory” - the mandorla of Christ - is held by the angels surrounding it.
In the 15th century, icons of the Assumption were widely distributed in Rus', depicting the miracle of the cutting off of the hands of the wicked Jew Authonia (Athonia, in some sources - Jephonia) by an angel in the foreground, in front of the bed. Perhaps the popularity of the plot at that time and in the 16th century was associated with the fight against heretical movements. For the first time this plot was recorded in the fresco of the Church of Panagia Mavriotissa in Kastoria (the turn of the 12th-13th centuries), and in ancient Russian art - in the frescoes of the Snetogorsk Monastery and the Church of the Assumption on Volotovo Field.
In Russian icons of the Assumption of the second half of the 15th century - from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (c. 1479), from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1497, now in the Tretyakov Gallery), from the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov (late 15th century, now in the Andrei Rublev Museum) - a detailed iconographic diagram is presented. The apostles are depicted traveling on clouds, at the bed of the Mother of God there are sobbing Jerusalem wives, apostles and angels, in the foreground there is a scene of cutting off the hands of Auphonia. The upper part of the icon depicts the heavens opening, to which the Mother of God is lifted up by angels in “glory.” This detail is interpreted in the “Word on the Dormition” of St. Andrew of Crete: “The door of the heavenly gates has risen to receive into the heavenly kingdom... the Most Heavenly Door of God.” Examining the icon from the Assumption Cathedral (ill. 5), E. Ya. Ostashenko notes the design and color of the “glory” of the ascending Mother of God, which has no analogues in other monuments. Instead of the traditional blue hues here, the outer outline of the "glory" is made up of two shades of red, while the inner parts include a radiance with short rays. Apparently, the red color of “glory” and the rays inside it are associated with a number of poetic images of the Mother of God, for example, with the image of the “Woman clothed with the sun” (Rev. 12: 1) and the image of the Church, which was clothed with the “Sun of Truth - Christ.” A special feature of the above-mentioned icon of the Assumption of 1497 from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is the depiction of the episode with the Mother of God presenting her belt to the Apostle Thomas. According to one of the legends about the Assumption, Thomas arrived late, when the Mother of God was already ascending to heaven, and received the belt from Her hands. Having joined the rest of the apostles, he told them about his meeting with the Mother of God, thereby testifying to Her ascension to heaven.Along with the developed and detailed iconographic types discussed above, a short version of the iconography of the Assumption was also widespread at the same time. Thus, the Russian Museum houses a Novgorod icon of the 15th century (Fig. 6), which does not contain images of angels, apostles flying on clouds and traditional figures of apostles at the bed of the Mother of God. The overall composition of the icon is distinguished by extreme laconicism - only the Savior Himself and two saints stand before the Mother of God. At the top of the icon are the half-figures of St. John the Baptist and St. Archdeacon Stephen. This is connected either with the dedication of the altars of the church from which the icon comes, or with the desire of the customer of the icon to see the patron saints of his family on the image of the Dormition.
The icon of the Assumption from the mid-16th century from the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve stands out with an interesting iconographic feature. If in all the monuments discussed above, Christ was most often depicted frontally, holding the soul of the Mother of God with both hands, then here He is presented in a spread, blessing the Mother of God with his right hand, lying on the bed. This detail appears to appear in the “cloud” version of the Assumption in the first half of the 16th century and spread widely in the 16th-17th centuries. The Savior is also represented blessing the Mother of God on a 16th-century icon from the collection of the Russian Museum (ill. 7). It also depicts the ascension of the Mother of God, sitting on a throne, to the open gates of heaven, behind which are visible the angelic ranks, the Heavenly city (in the form of a cruciform tower) and several trees of paradise.The placement of the Assumption scene in church paintings in the 16th century was also associated with heavenly symbolism. Thus, in the decoration of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and the Assumption Cathedral in Sviyazhsk, this plot is placed above the altar conch, which allows us to interpret this composition based on ideas about the symbolism of the altar space as a heavenly, heavenly place.
In the 17th century, monumental temple icons of the Assumption appeared, accompanied by stamps in which the “Tale of the Assumption” was illustrated. Thus, on the 1658 icon from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the stamps depict the prayer of the Mother of God before her death, the farewell of the Mother of God to her loved ones, the journey of the apostles, their conversation with the Mother of God and other scenes. The most detailed story about the Dormition of the Virgin Mary ends with the image of the Mother of God on a bed in the Garden of Eden. The same story about the Assumption is contained in the stamps of the Assumption icon of the late 17th century from the Andrei Rublev Museum (ill. 8). In the last mark, the Mother of God, as in the traditional iconography of the Dormition, is depicted lying on a throne, with two burning candles behind and in front of it. Not only the apostles stand at the bed of the Mother of God - in the lower right corner the Old Testament righteous are depicted bowing, among them the prophets David and Daniel can be noted. The presence of the Old Testament righteous at the Dormition of the Mother of God, as well as the prudent thief with a cross standing behind Mary’s bed, directly indicates that the event depicted in the icon takes place not on earth, but in heaven, or rather, in paradise. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the subject of the stamp in question is written on a white background. It was this color that, from the very birth of Christian art, symbolized paradise, as A. N. Ovchinnikov writes about this: “Any image on a white background should be understood as participation in paradise.” Traditionally, scenes such as “The Creation of Adam and Eve”, “Abraham’s Womb”, “Meeting in Paradise of the prudent thief with the prophets Elijah and Enoch” (in the “Descent into Hell” icons), “Savior the Unsleeping Eye” are depicted on a white background.The monuments we considered as examples are only a small part of the images of the Assumption that were loved and honored in Rus'. The popularity of the plot was facilitated by the fact that the main altars of the cathedrals of many Russian cities (Moscow, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Vladimir), as well as monasteries, including the most ancient (Kievo-Pechersk and Pskov-Pechersk), were dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
IN Orthodox world There are many icons of the Mother of God that have exceptional properties in healing and helping all those who turn. The icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is no exception, and is especially revered among Christians.
The Dormition, or the transition of the Mother of God from the world of the living to our Lord and her son, is described in the Bible. According to legend, the Virgin Mary tirelessly prayed to the Lord for the end of her earthly life. During one of her prayers, the Archangel Gabriel visited her and told her that her earthly life was over and in three days she would find peace.
History of the icon
The tireless prayers of the Mother of God exalted her. Her holiness and sincere concern for everyone living on earth helped her ascend to God's Kingdom and remain the patroness of people, the consoler of their sorrows and support in difficult moments of life. At the hour of her dormition, the house was illuminated by divine light, looking over the deathbed of the Mother of God. In this light, Jesus himself appeared behind the Mother of God, surrounded by singing angels.
The end of the earthly life of the Mother of God is called the Dormition because her death was not ordinary. The soul of the Virgin Mary ascended like Jesus into the Kingdom of Heaven, and her spirit still looks at the human race with humility and a desire to help.
Where is the image of the Virgin Mary located?
The image can be found in almost every Orthodox church. The icon “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” is located in churches of the same name in the cities: Vladimir, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Smolensk, Ryazan, Murom, Astrakhan, Moscow. Significance and miraculous properties icons cannot be underestimated, so every year on August 28, believers offer prayers to the Mother of God with various requests.
Description of the icon
The icon depicts the Dormition (death) of the Mother of God. She is positioned on her deathbed and surrounded by mourning apostles. At the top of the icon we see Jesus holding the soul of his Mother in his arms, surrounded by jubilant angels. They herald the transition of the Mother of God from earthly life to immortal life.
How does a miraculous image help?
They instill confidence in believers and eradicate fear of the end of earthly life. Every Orthodox Christian turns to the image with prayers so that at the end of the path he can gain eternal life and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Offering prayers helps to heal the soul and body from all kinds of ailments and illnesses, to strengthen oneself in the true Orthodox faith, find solid support under your feet and not succumb to all sorts of temptations.
Prayer before the icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Most Holy Theotokos, save and preserve the servant of God (name). Protect from temptations on the path of life, protect, Mother, from self-interest and strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ, generous and all-forgiving. Cover me with your cover from haters and ill-wishers, and forgive them their malice. Give me the strength to fight temptations and do not allow the machinations of the devil to turn me away from the Orthodox faith. Show your mercy to me and my family, save and protect us. Amen".
Days of celebration
August 28 (15). IN Orthodox Church This holiday is considered one of the main twelve, and is preceded by a two-week strict Dormition Fast. During fasting, every Orthodox Christian atones for his sins and strengthens his faith, freeing his soul and thoughts from negativity. On this day, everyone can visit the church or pray at home at the iconostasis, glorifying the transition of the Mother of God from earthly life to the Kingdom of Heaven.
It does not, unlike most twelve holidays, have a basis in the Holy Scriptures. All events associated with the death, resurrection and subsequent ascension of the Mother of God are based on apocryphal legends, which, however, do not contradict Orthodox dogma. And, as often happens, from all the available information the Church itself selects what is most consistent with its Tradition and cuts off everything unnecessary. The same is true with iconography.
The composition of the icon of the Assumption is divided by a mental horizontal line into two semantic parts. At the bottom there is the body of the deceased Mother of God on her deathbed, surrounded by the mourning apostles. At the top, Christ is present with the soul of His Most Pure Mother in his arms, surrounded by triumphant angels. Below is earthly sorrow, above is the joy of the next century. This is exactly how – from bottom to top – we will try to examine and “read” the icon of the Assumption.
I did not set myself the task of considering all variants of the iconography of the Assumption. At the moment, I would like to outline the basis of this iconography, which dates back to times close to the 7th Ecumenical Council, times when new iconographies were formed and ancient ones were corrected, according to the high spirit of the fathers who theologically defended the veneration of icons and forever formulated its dogma. This spirit, this tradition tried not to allow anything superfluous, random or dubious into the icon.
So, in the icon we see the body of the Mother of God reclining on a bed. The bed is draped in purple. It is worth remembering that in the Byzantine tradition, purple is an exceptional symbol of imperial dignity. Just like the foot of the bed - the so-called “rota”, a luxuriously decorated purple stand, bordered with gold, precious stones and pearls, is also one of the attributes of imperial power.
On some icons of the Assumption, the discarded purple shoes of the Mother of God also stand on this stand - they are also imperial regalia. This is exactly how Byzantine artists symbolically depicted the august dignity of the Queen of Heaven, and this is characteristic exclusively of the Eastern Church. In the West, they did not really understand the intricacies of the Byzantine court ceremonial and depicted the Mother of God with more specific royal symbols - a crown, a scepter, etc.
The body of the Virgin Mary is depicted in familiar clothes. The head is surrounded by a halo, and this is no coincidence. After all, according to the teachings of the Church, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and after the general resurrection they will again be reunited with souls for eternal life.
The mourning apostles are gathered around the bier. The Apostle Peter, with a censer in his hand, burns incense on the body of the Most Pure One. in grief he falls to the very bed - after all, it was to him that the Lord on the cross bequeathed the care of His Mother: “Jesus, seeing the Mother and the disciple standing here, whom he loved, says to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son. Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother! And from that time on this disciple took Her to himself” (John 19:26-27).
The postures and gestures of the apostles speak of quiet grief, devoid of violent manifestations. Right there in the crowd we see two people in holy omophorions - these are Dionysius the Areopagite and Jacob, the brother of the Lord, who were present in the house of the Mother of God according to legend. Sometimes the icon also contains church writers - creators who most fully revealed the meaning of the Feast of the Assumption. That is, without being physically present at the event itself, they seemed to contemplate it with their mind’s eye, which gave them the opportunity to describe it so deeply and vividly.
Above all this rises the majestic figure of Christ. To emphasize this majesty, Byzantine iconographers often depict the Savior larger than other characters. In his hands he holds the soul of His Most Pure Mother, who is depicted in the form of a swaddled baby. This is a transparent symbol of birth into eternal life. This is victory over death. After all, the very name of the holiday (dormition) – in Greek “κοίμησις” – means “sleepy state”. The death of a Christian is just a dream, just a temporary state.
But just from a human perspective, this is a very touching image: the Almighty holds in his arms the One who once held Him in her arms in earthly life.
Actually, the essence of the iconography of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is limited to this. However, some minor details could always be added, emphasizing one or another aspect of the celebration and relying on various legends or .
Icon. About 1200. Novgorod
For example, according to one legend, all the apostles from all over the world were immediately transferred to Jerusalem on the eve of Mary’s repose. And some icons represent this journey, in which the apostles are depicted in the clouds. Or some household details are added, such as candles by the bed. Or, symbolic images, for example, a stamna (jug), which is an allusion to hymnography glorifying the Mother of God: it is based on the Old Testament prototypes of the Mother of God, which is the vessel (stamna) of Moses.
Moses himself and other prophets may be present, who in one way or another spoke about the Mother of God in prototypes. There may also be the weeping women of Jerusalem or the apocryphal character Auphonius, a Jew who tried to take Mary's body from the apostles in order to burn it. Usually the moment is depicted when Auphonia boldly stretches out her hands to the bed of the Mother of God, which are cut off by an angel.
There may also be additional details at the top of the icon - for example, Christ may be surrounded by a symbolic sphere, emphasizing His glory. The scene of the ascension of the Mother of God by angels and the opened heavenly gates can be shown, which illustrates the “Word on the Dormition” by Andrei of Crete: “The door of the heavenly gates has risen in order to receive into the heavenly kingdom... the Most Heavenly Door of God.” There may be a lot of details, but the basis is always simple and laconic and, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, visually reveals the event being described - the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
And this laconicism and simplicity often baffles art historians who have devoted themselves to the study of Orthodox iconography. In a fit of passion, these tireless researchers and seekers of hidden meanings and deep layers begin to look for some additional content in the icon, which is obviously hidden from the laymen.
With the zeal of an archaeologist, art historians begin to collect some small details and put them together into a picture that, it would seem, cannot be seen at first glance. And sometimes they go so far in their research that the “new meaning” they reveal begins to overshadow the true meaning. And somehow I want to quietly take the enthusiastic diggers by the sleeve and whisper: “Wait, gentlemen, where are you going? Have you lost the main meaning while searching for the “deep?”
So, for example, in lately one has to read that the icon of the Assumption has a liturgical meaning. Of course, the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, is the center of Christian consciousness. And this, undoubtedly, is reflected in the iconography. But, nevertheless, this does not mean that any icon must necessarily talk about the Liturgy.
Here, from one famous art critic, you can read the following: “In the Middle Byzantine iconography of this scene, the bed with the body of the Mother of God was clearly likened to a throne, and the arrangement of the apostles in two groups, headed by Peter and Paul, on the sides of the bed, was their presence at the Eucharist and communion under two types. Christ, standing with the swaddled soul of Mary behind the bed, was the image of a bishop at a meal.
The image of the Apostle Peter censing before the bed apparently corresponded to the censing of the Holy Gifts in the liturgy, and the image of John falling to Mary’s bed corresponded to the priest kissing the throne.”
In support of this statement, expressed quite categorically, by the way, the author cites numerous quotes from liturgical texts, forgetting the context of the patristic words dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Or he uses the following argument: “The liturgical nature of the scene of the Dormition of the Mother of God was sometimes directly indicated by the image of pairs of hymnographers - Cosmas of Mayum and John of Damascus, presented, for example, on the western wall of the upper church-tomb in Bachkovo to the right and left of this composition under the arches, and subsequently in the paintings of the 14th century."
But both John of Damascus and Cosmas of Mayum are hymnographers, authors of church texts, including those related to the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the first wrote three words of praise dedicated to this holiday, and the second is the author of the canon of the holiday. Those. their presence next to the image of the Assumption is justified precisely by their connection with this celebration, but cannot in any way “directly indicate” a “liturgical” character.
But suppose we accepted the point of view of a respected art critic, carried away by the author’s erudition and struck by the beauty of Byzantine poetry. Let the deathbed of the Mother of God be the Throne, let Christ be the serving bishop, and the apostles be those who serve with him and prepare to receive communion “under two types,” i.e. separately Blood and Body. But let us ask a simple question: whose flesh and blood should the apostles consume at this “liturgy”, if on the “throne” lie not the Holy Gifts, but the body of the Mother of God?
Here it would definitely be worth stopping and thinking about whether we are digging too “deep”, and whether we are digging in the right direction? Now, of course, is not the time when the slightest misunderstanding or unusual interpretation could cause fierce debate and accusations of heresy. But still, with another attempt to explain Orthodox icon, it would probably be worth showing more responsibility. After all, this is not an essay on the topic “what the author wanted to say.”
Meanwhile, the desire to complete, further fantasize, “broaden” and “deepen” the meaning of the icon is, apparently, ineradicable. And how much effort, talent, erudition is spent on this desire. Books are published, dissertations are written - and everything goes by. The true, pure, undistorted meaning of the icon is shifted to the sidelines or replaced by some kind of esotericism. And speaking of esotericism. It is probably not accidental to look for, in addition to art historians, secret meanings Christian art is very popular among all sorts of occultists and adherents of dubious spiritual practices.
And yet, I would so much like the icon of the Assumption to remain the icon of the Assumption, which we now celebrate.