Iconostasis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Iconostasis - Essay Example ... This arrangement, however, differs in the finer churches in Greece, Russia, Turkey and the East where the iconostasis is adorned with a wealth of paintings. In those churches, aside from the two requisite pictures, the iconostasis is covered with pictures throughout. On the royal door, there is always the Annunciation. The Annunciation is the revelation made by the archangel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus indicating that she would conceive a child, the Son of God. In addition to the Annunciation there is often a depiction of the four Evangelists. On each of the other doors there are generally pictures of St. Michael and the archangel Gabriel. Beyond the deacon's door there is usually the saint to whom the church is dedicated. Additionally, at the opposite end there is either a picture of St. Nicholas of Myra or that of St. John the Baptist. Depicted above the royal door, there is a picture of the Last Supper and directly above that picture there is often a large picture of Jesu s sitting on his throne with a crown and adorned in priestly clothing much in the image of a High-priest. At the pinnacle of the iconostasis there is a large crucifix which represents the source of salvation for believers and on either side of it, there are pictures of the Virgin Mary and St. John (Wikipedia, n.d.). In extremely elaborate iconostasis, the pictures are arranged in rows across the entire length of the iconostasis. The bottommost row contains the pictures previously described while the second row generally contains pictures commemorating the fundamental feasts of the Church such as the Nativity, Annunciation and Transfiguration. The third row generally contain pictures of the Prophets of the Old