09:10 2012
Construction of an Orthodox church (II). Iconostasis
Iconostasis is one of the most important and obligatory elements of an Orthodox church. The iconostasis is a partition that separates the altar from the middle part of the temple, called the nave, and is certainly lined with icons. Actually, the last characteristic gave the name “iconostasis”, meaning “standing of images, or icons” (from the Greek eikonostasis: icon - image, image + stasis - place of standing).
The iconostasis was not the invention of any responsible person or creative figure, nor was it the result of the willful effort of a ruler or church pastor. The iconostasis became the bearer of the religious experience of many generations of different peoples, their search for the optimal arrangement of a religious building to realize the main goal of religion - restoring the connection with the Creator, interrupted by the fall of the first people, restoring communion with God. And therefore, not a single definition of the iconostasis, including the one we propose, can include the full meaning and functions of the iconostasis. They are inseparable from the history of the Orthodox church, which originates from Old Testament events, church practice (divine services, church sacraments), from church art (the meaning and purpose of the icon, its iconography and other features).
The iconostasis was based on three ideas, born at different times in human religious history, the interaction of which gave us what we see today in Orthodox churches and call the iconostasis.
Feofan the Greek, Andrei Rublev, Prokhor from Gorodets and others
Iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. XV–XVII centuries
Row diagram:
A. Local row;
B. Pyadnichny row;
B. Deesis rite. Around 1405;
G. Festive row. Around 1405;
D. Prophetic series;
E. Forefathers' row
Icon layout: 1. Hosts; 2. Our Lady on the throne; 3. Annunciation; 4. Christmas; 5. Meeting; 6. Pre-sex; 7. Baptism; 8. Transfiguration; 9. Raising Lazarus; 10. Entrance to Jerusalem; 11. Last Supper; 12. Crucifixion; 13. Entombment; 14. Descent into hell; 15. Ascension; 16. Descent of the Holy Spirit; 17. Dormition; 18. Basil the Great; 19. Apostle Peter; 20. Archangel Michael; 21. Our Lady; 22. Christ Pantocrator;. 23. John the Baptist;. 24. Archangel Gabriel; 25. Apostle Paul; 26. John Chrysostom; 27. Nikola, with the marks of miracles; 28. Our Lady of Tikhvin, with marks of miracles; 29. Archangel Uriel.
North altar door; 30. Savior with the upcoming Mother of God and John the Baptist, with the saints in the fields; 31. Frame from the icon “Our Lady of the Don” with the image of righteous women; 32. passed on the throne; 33. Annunciation of the Mother of God, with Akathist marks. Temple icon; 34. John the Baptist, Apostle Peter and Alexei the Man of God; 35. Archangel Raphael.
South altar door; 36. The Savior with the falling saints Sergius of Radonezh and Varlaam of Khutyn, with the marks of parables; 37. “Four-part” icon. 38–39. Forefathers' row of icons; 40–41. Prophetic row of icons; 42–43. A row of mini tablets; 44. Nikola Mozhaisky; 45. Spas belt; 46. The Raising of Lazarus.
First, the oldest of the fundamental ideas of the iconostasis is associated with the idea of a sacred place, isolated from the usual bustling world and accessible only to the initiated. Such premises existed in sacred buildings even in the pre-Christian period in all cultures, among different peoples.
New Testament Temple preserves the traditions of the construction of the Old Testament tabernacle of meeting and revelation, transforming it in the light of the completed redemption of mankind by the Savior of the world and the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven. The image of the tabernacle, received at Sinai by the prophet Moses, was the embodiment of the idea of isolating a sacred place for God to dwell and man to communicate with him. Tabernacle(disassembled portable temple) had three main parts: 1) Holy of Holies; 2) Sanctuary; 3) courtyard of the tabernacle. The most sacred part of the tabernacle is Holy of Holies- symbolized the Heavenly Kingdom of God, therefore no one entered the Holy of Holies of the Old Testament temple except high priest, who was only allowed to enter there once a year. Stored here Ark of the Covenant. The Holy of Holies was closed with a “deaf” curtain, separating the Kingdom of God from the rest of the world, even from the Sanctuary, in which fragrant resin - incense - was burned every morning and evening on the altar of incense to God. The image and structure of the tabernacle were transferred to the stationary Old Testament temple, built in Jerusalem by the son of King David Solomon.
Four-row iconostasis of the Transfiguration Church of the Kizhi Pogost. Reconstruction
In an Orthodox church Holy of Holies corresponds altar. Before the coming of Christ and His atonement for human sins, no one could enter the Kingdom of Heaven, not even the righteous, therefore the Holy of Holies was closed. With Christianity, a new idea enters the world, the idea of the New Testament - redemption and the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven to all people through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. So the traditional Old Testament cult structure includes this idea - the openness of the Kingdom of Heaven, which begins here on earth, within us.
One of the most important religious and philosophical thoughts is now accessible to everyone in an image: the Kingdom of God exists, but it was closed in the Old Testament, representing the greatest mystery of God - the mystery of the divine word and sacrificial love that creates and preserves the world. Only the prophets spoke about this.
According to the Holy Scriptures, during the atonement, after the words of the Savior giving up his spirit: “It is finished,” the sun darkened, an earthquake occurred and the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in two. The kingdom of heaven opened and entered the world through the sacrificial love of the Savior. And a person, through faith in Christ, opens the Holy of Holies - his heart - first of all for himself and for the world. In a Christian, as in a temple, there is the Kingdom of Heaven, God dwells, communicates with man and through man with the world. Comparing the purpose of parts of the Old Testament and New Testament churches, we see how symbolically the words of the Gospel were embodied: “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”
Three-row iconostasis
Double-row iconostasis
New idea the openness of the former sacred existence should have been reflected in the structure of the temple, in the relationship between the altar and the nave (the former Holy of Holies and Sanctuary). Interaction begins two ideas - openness and secrecy.
The task for Christendom is not an easy one. The mystery of Divine Creativity and salvation has been revealed and at the same time remains a mystery. It is revealed to believers in Christ in their religious experience, gradually, through the sacraments of the church, awareness of sins, repentance, testing of their love for God and people, and this discovery is limitless and uneven for people, knowledge of God is endless and depends on man himself and God’s providence . And can the sacrament of the Eucharist - the mystery of God’s sacrifice, constantly offered for the world - be performed in front of all people, among whom there may be non-believers and those just beginning their journey in Christ? But the main thing is where is the measure that can be applied to people who come to the temple? Who can be present, offering prayer with reverent awe, and who can interfere, distract the priest from the most important of all human affairs - prayers, the celebration of the sacrament of the church?
Of course, only the living God has such a measure. And to establish such a measure by human consent means going back, from grace - to the law, and even established by people, preventing the liberation of your heart for God's guidance.
In the most ancient Byzantine churches, the altar was not separated.
An excerpt from a text written in the 4th century allows you to feel how Christians in those days experienced and perceived the Eucharist: “Fear and trembling seizes the priest at this terrible hour for him and for the laity. In his extraordinary capacity and in his office, terrifying even the seraphim, the son of the dust of the earth stands as a redeemer, gripped by great fear. The terrible King, mystically sacrificed and buried, and the frightened spectators, trembling with fear of the Lord.” The altar meant the Divine Throne, causing a sacred shudder, and the Eucharist took place as a “fear-inspiring sacrament.”
And over time it began to be used veil (katapetasma), which was pulled during the sacrament. Quite early, judging by the description of the church writer of the 4th century. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, the so-called block- a low partition with doors in the middle. Images of such barriers are often found in ancient church paintings, especially in compositions of the Eucharist. Later, icons, usually two, began to be placed on this low barrier, to the right and left of the Royal Doors.
The interior of the monastery temple in Chora is the best preserved Byzantine church in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople)
This is how the third idea of the iconostasis comes into play - icons as windows to the spiritual world. Being in the nave of the temple, believers are not simply fenced off from the altar, but stand before the history of the salvation of mankind and before the spiritual world, which every person can look into and enter thanks to the many windows, the role of which is played by icons and images of the iconostasis. Thus, a balance has been found between the need to preserve the spirit of reverence during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist and the possibility of the presence and participation of every believer in it, and at the same time, only God knows the measure of the worthiness of their participation.
It was in this form that the iconostasis must have passed from Byzantium to Rus' and existed like this until the 15th century, when icon painting reached a special flowering and churches began to be filled with many icons, repeating almost all the wall paintings of the temple. The icons on the altar barrier are placed in several rows, close to each other, and the barrier itself moves forward, covering the eastern pillars, the altar and the deacon, or the sacristy, a repository of sacred vessels, liturgical vestments, books, wine, prosphora and other items necessary for worship and fulfillment of requirements.
In the XV–XVI centuries. the Russian type of iconostasis is developing - high iconostasis. The Russian iconostasis is the most complex in structure and, unlike the Greek, is characterized by a strict horizontal and vertical structure. The iconostasis, according to the accepted Greek-Byzantine tradition, has three doors. The middle doors are called the Royal Doors, because only through them the priest brings out the chalice (chalice) with the Holy Gifts (under the guise of bread and wine - the Body and Blood of Christ), that is, the Lord himself, the King of Glory, passes through these gates. The Annunciation and the four evangelists are depicted on the Royal Doors.
Other gates northern and southern, bear images of archangels or holy deacons (sometimes saints) and are called deacons, because deacons usually pass through them. Priests pass through these gates several times during services, but the bishop never, since, symbolizing Christ the Savior, he passes through the Royal Doors.
As a sign that after the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven opened for people in the New Testament temple, the altar opens at all the most important moments of the service. But only those who perform the divine service or serve during it can enter the altar, only in church vestments and only during the service.
The icons on the iconostasis are arranged in a certain order, in tiers (or ranks, or rows).
The classic Russian high iconostasis looks like this. On right from the Royal Doors located icon of the Savior, A on the left - the Mother of God and Child. Next to the icon of Christ is placed temple icon(it depicts a saint or sacred event to which the temple is dedicated). This local tier.
Above the local row is located deesis (deisis)(from the Greek d'eesis - prayer) a row symbolizing the prayer of the entire Heavenly Church to Christ. The central icon of this series is "Savior is in power"- depicts the Savior as the Judge of the whole world (in royal or bishop's vestments on the heavenly throne). Left and right- images of those standing before the Lord in prayer Mother of God and John the Baptist. These images symbolize perfect prayer, since the highest holiness possible for the human race is revealed in the Most Holy Theotokos and John the Baptist. On both sides from the central images of the Savior, the Mother of God and John the Baptist are icons of praying apostles and other saints, so this tier is sometimes called apostolic.
Third rank is called "festive", because here, in strict accordance with the plot and compositional canons, the main Orthodox holidays are depicted.
Next, the fourth order is prophetic. It contains icons of the Old Testament righteous - prophets, through whom the revelation of the incarnation of the Savior and of the Mother of God was received. The Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign,” symbolizing the incarnation of Christ, is located in the center of this row.
The fifth tier of the iconostasis is the ancestral one- contains images forefathers - the Old Testament patriarchs and the icon of the Holy Trinity in the center.
Directly above the Royal Doors the icon is located "The Last Supper".
In the center above the upper rank is the Cross (Golgotha)- a symbol of the redemption of humanity and the victory of divine love over death.
Iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral
XIX century Saint Petersburg
In Ancient Rus', this type of iconostasis was the most common, although the number of tiers could have decreased up to one row, with the obligatory image of the Last Supper over the Royal Doors. Under the icons of the bottom row, almost above the floor, in ancient times even images of pagan philosophers and sibyls were placed, since, although they did not know the true God, they strove to know him.
Iconostasis, like the entire altar, is located on elevated place, which protrudes into the middle part of the temple and is called salty.
Established rules and established traditions in the construction of Orthodox churches are strictly observed, however, within certain limits, differences (not fundamental) are allowed, due to the characteristics of a particular temple, therefore each Orthodox church is unique in its own way, both externally and internally.
Orthodox church may have additional altars, forming chapels of the temple, respectively each altar has its own iconostasis.
Latin temples are also richly decorated.
The picture shows the famous golden altar of the Cathedral in Seville, Spain.
It consists of several rows or, as they are also called, tiers or ranks. The number of rows may vary depending on local traditions and the category of the temple.
At the turn of the 14th-15th centuries, the iconostases had 3 rows, in the 16th century there were 4 of them, by the end of the 17th century the number of ranks of some iconostases even increased to 7, but five-tiered structures became the most common.
All rows have a special meaning and symbolic name.
The first, lowest one is the local row. It is named so because there are icons dedicated to particularly important saints or holidays in the area. Such icons are called locally revered.
Some icons in this tier are permanent in any temple. To the right of the Royal Doors there will always be an icon of the Savior, to the left - the face of the Mother of God. This symbolizes that Christ and the Virgin Mary meet everyone on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven and accompany them on the path to eternal life. The image to the right of the icon of the Savior is called “temple” and depicts the saint or event after which the church is named. For example, in the Assumption Church in this place there is a scene of the Assumption of the Mother of God, in Nikolskaya - St. Nicholas the Pleasant.
Above the local is a festive row. It consists of icons of the twelve feasts and images of Holy and Easter weeks. It is interesting that in the earliest iconostases it is located on the third tier, above the Deesis - but then they began to place it lower so that believers could better see the festive scenes.
The third row, central and most important, is called Deesis. In the center of it is the image of “The Savior in Power,” depicting Jesus the judge, and at the edges there are saints turned to Christ in prayer. Therefore, the name of the rite comes from the word “deisis”, which translated from Greek means “prayer”.
The fourth row of the iconostasis is prophetic, and the fifth tier is ancestral.
In some cases, above the forefathers there is also a passionate row, depicting the suffering of Christ in the last week on the eve of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
At the very top there is always a picture of Golgotha - the “inaccessible mountain”. Everyone who came to the temple bows before her.
If we talk about the structure of the iconostasis, then the simplest one is tyablovoe (the term comes from the Russian word “tyablo” - timber, which, in turn, comes from the Latin “tabula” - board). In the tyablo iconostasis, icons are placed on logs in special grooves. The logs themselves are covered on the outside with painted boards with colors and patterns and fixed in special recesses on the northern and southern walls of the temple. This is the most ancient type of iconostasis; over time, its decoration became richer. Thus, by the 17th century, many iconostases acquired sculptural decorations and even gilded wooden carvings - despite the disapproval of the church, which called it “Western and worldly.” Today, on the contrary, not only the iconostasis and the central part of the Orthodox church, but also all objects are distinguished by luxurious decoration
One of the most holy places for believers is a temple, cathedral, church, where they come for services and liturgies. In the temple, the most holy place is the altar room, symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven, the realm of Divine existence, the constant presence of Divine grace.
The sublimity and grandeur of the altar is emphasized by its elevation above the base level, on which the main room of the temple is located, where parishioners gather. The main premises of the temple necessarily include an altar room,
protected from the main room for parishioners by an iconostasis. History of the origin of the iconostasis
The origin of the iconostasis was caused by the need to protect the altar part from the main room, where the worshipers and all parishioners are located, with a special special altar barrier. The separation of the altar from the general premises of the temple symbolizes the separation of the Divine and earthly principles. They are one, but the earthly part is manifest, the Divine part is not
can be shown by no earthly forms, therefore there is a symbolic separation of the altar room by the iconostasis.
It must be said that the iconostasis is a feature of Orthodox churches. The very use of the iconostasis is a purely Russian idea. Greek churches also have an iconostasis, but it came there from Russia through the Athos Monastery. The custom of placing icons with the faces of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and John the Baptist on the altar curtain appeared after the penetration of Christianity in Greece.
The emergence of the iconostasis in Rus' by filling the altar barrier with icons is explained by the fact that in wooden churches there was no wall painting, while in Byzantium the art of fresco reached its peak. Today the iconostasis is a very important part of any Orthodox church. The structure of the iconostasis
The structure of the iconostasis implies a structure of several rows of icons (four - five), three gates at the bottom, and the iconostasis ends at the top with a cross. The icons are addressed to those praying and symbolize the union of the Divine principle with the Earthly. Thus, during the divine service, the assembly of believers is, as it were, brought face to face with the assembly of celestial beings, mysteriously present in the images of the iconostasis.
Traditionally, the design of the iconostasis assumes the location of the Royal Doors in the center, opposite the throne. They are called so because through them comes the holy power with which Christ was endowed. To the left of the Royal Doors, opposite the altar, are the northern doors for the exit of the clergy and their assistants during the service; on the right, the iconostasis has southern doors for the entrance of clergy.
A curtain is hung from inside the Royal Doors, which is opened or closed at certain moments of the service. The opening of the curtain depicts the revelation of the mystery of Salvation to people. The opening of the Royal Doors means the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven to Christians.
The iconostasis itself is usually decorated with icons in several rows. At its core, the iconostasis is an attempt to present to man the history of the creation of the world. Structure of the iconostasis: bottom row
The image on the far right is the “temple icon”. It symbolizes a holiday or a saint in whose honor the church was consecrated. There, on the left, is the “local row icon.” She indicates which saint is most revered in these parts. On the Royal Doors there are small icons of the Annunciation and the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Above the Royal Doors there is an icon of the Last Supper - a symbol of the sacrament of the Eucharist. To the right of the Royal Doors is a large icon of the Savior, to the left of them is an icon of the Mother of God with the Child in her arms. On the northern and southern gates are the archangels Gabriel and Michael (sometimes the holy deacons). Structure of the iconostasis: second row
If the bottom row introduces us to the fundamental points of Orthodox doctrine and the peculiarities of local veneration of saints, then the second row (also called the Deesis) is more complex: there are more icons here, and they are smaller in size. This entire series symbolizes the Church’s prayer to Christ, a prayer that is happening now and which will end at the Last Judgment.
In the center of the row (directly above the Royal Doors and the “Last Supper” icon) is the image “The Savior is in Power.” Christ, sitting on a throne with a book, is depicted against the background of a red square with elongated ends (earth), a blue oval (spiritual world) and a red rhombus (the invisible world). This image represents Christ as a formidable judge of the entire universe.
On the right is the image of John the Baptist, the Baptist of the Lord, on the left is the icon of the Mother of God. It is no coincidence that this is the “Intercessor” (the Virgin Mary is depicted in full growth, looking to the left and with a scroll in her hand). To the right and left of these icons are images of archangels, prophets and the most famous saints, who represent the holy Church of Christ. Structure of the iconostasis: third row
This is the so-called “holiday” series. It can also be called historical: it introduces us to the events of Gospel history (the first icon here is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, followed by the Entry into the Temple, Annunciation, Nativity of Christ, Presentation, Epiphany, Transfiguration, Entry into Jerusalem, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Descent Holy Spirit, Dormition (The number of holiday icons may vary). Structure of the iconostasis: fourth row
The fourth row is prophetic. If the icons of the third row are unique illustrations of the New Testament, then the fourth row introduces us to the times of the Old Testament Church. Here are depicted the prophets who announced the future: the Messiah and the Virgin from whom Christ will be born. It is no coincidence that in the center of the row there is an icon of the Mother of God “Oranta”, or “Praying”, depicting the Most Pure Virgin with her hands raised to the sky in prayer and the Child in her bosom. Structure of the iconostasis: fifth row
This series is called “ancestral”. His icons refer us to events of even more ancient times. The forefathers are depicted here - from Adam to Moses. In the center of the row is the “Old Testament Trinity” - a symbol of the eternal council of the Holy
Trinity about the self-sacrifice of God the Word for the atonement of human sin.
The choice of the forefathers depicted is arbitrary; as a rule, the meaning of the choice is known to those who ordered the iconostasis. The top of the iconostasis is crowned with an image of the crucifixion. Here it is necessary to make a reservation that such an iconostasis arrangement is not available in all churches.
In the churches of ancient Rus', this type of five-tiered iconostasis was dominant, but sometimes the number of rows could be reduced to one with the necessary image of the Last Supper over the Royal Doors.
Prepared by Alexander A. Sokolovsky
The first thing that catches the eye of every person who enters an Orthodox church is the wall located in the front part of the temple, on which many icons are placed. This - iconostasis, a symbol of the unity of the earthly Church, consisting of believers living on earth and the Heavenly Church, which includes saints glorified by God.
The iconostasis separates from the main room of the temple, where the worshipers are, the altar, its holiest part, which symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven, the realm of Divine existence, the constant presence of Divine grace.
This symbolic Heaven on earth must be separated from the entire temple, for God is completely different from His creation, God is primarily holy, that is, unworldly, inconceivable in the fullness of His Being in the realm of earthly existence.
The sanctity of the altar is emphasized by its elevation above the main level of the temple and the enclosure of the shrine, which should not dissolve in everyday life. The iconostasis protects the altar from penetration by people unprepared for the sacred rite.
“The limitation of the altar is necessary so that it does not turn out to be like nothing for us,” writes priest Pavel Florensky. “Heaven from earth, what is above from what is below, the altar from the temple can only be separated by visible witnesses of the invisible world, living symbols of the union of both... The iconostasis is the border between the visible world and the invisible world, and this altar barrier is realized, made accessible to consciousness by a rallied number of saints, a cloud of witnesses surrounding the Throne of God... The iconostasis is the appearance of saints and angels... the appearance of heavenly witnesses and, above all, the Mother of God and Christ Himself in the flesh, - witnesses who proclaim that on the other side of the flesh..."
Sometimes they say that the construction of the iconostasis was a tragedy for the Orthodox Church; the iconostasis separated believers from the clergy and caused the alienation of the hierarchy from the people. For anyone who understands the meaning of the icon, it is clear that this opinion is deeply mistaken.
The iconostasis is not an altar barrier, but a metaphysical doorway into the Kingdom of Heaven. On the other side of the iconostasis is the altar, where the main Christian sacrament is celebrated, the Eucharist - the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. This altar itself is a visible image of the Heavenly Kingdom and, looking at the iconostasis, a person enters this Kingdom with his spiritual gaze. It must be emphasized that this entry is not a symbolic action, but a truly real one, carried out not physically, but spiritually.
The purpose of the iconostasis is to visually unite the people praying in the temple, who make up the earthly Church, with the Church of the Saints, who equally participate in congregational prayer and the performance of the Sacraments. It is impossible for the sinful eyes of an imperfect person to see either the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Mother of God, or the host of saints who actually participate in the sacred rite. Their images are displayed by the iconostasis, so that a person standing in the church sees in front of him those who are invisibly present at the service.
If in the symbolism of the temple the altar represents Heaven, then the iconostasis is a visible image of this Heaven, an image of the Heavenly Triumphant Church. This determines its structure.
The classic Russian iconostasis consists of five tiers.
The first (lower) tier is called local. In this lower row there are the Royal Doors and two so-called deacon doors, located on the right and left. On the doors of the Royal Doors the icon of the Annunciation and the icons of the four evangelists are usually depicted. Less often - images of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom - the authors of two Liturgies celebrated in the Orthodox Church. On the deacon's gates, which are also called northern and southern, paired icons of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel or Archdeacons Stephen and Lawrence are usually placed, less often the Old Testament high priests Melchizedek and Aaron. To the right of the Royal Doors is an icon of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, to the left is an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, in the local row there is always a temple icon depicting the event or saint in whose honor the temple was consecrated, and other locally revered icons. An icon of the Last Supper is placed above the Royal Doors - a sign that the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, established at the Last Supper, is being celebrated in the altar.
The second tier is called the Deesis tier. The Russian word Deisus is a corruption of the Greek "deisis", which means prayer. In the center of this tier there is an icon of the Savior on the throne or the Savior “in power”, to the right of it (to the left of the viewer) is the image of the Mother of God, on the other side is the image of John the Baptist. This composition is called Deesis. In addition, this tier contains icons of the apostles - the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. Here you can find icons of Archangels, saints, saints, martyrs, prayerfully directed to Christ.
The third tier of the iconostasis is called festive and is filled with icons of the Twelve and other revered holidays.
The fourth tier is called prophetic. In the center of this tier is an icon of the Mother of God with the Child in Her bosom or on Her lap. On the sides are icons of the great and minor prophets of the Old Testament, who predicted the Incarnation hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Here you can find images of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Malachi, Moses, kings David and Solomon, and other prophets.
The last fifth tier of the iconostasis is called the ancestral one. Its central image is the icon of the New Testament Trinity or the so-called. "Fatherland". Around it are placed icons of the righteous of the Old Testament, who retained faith in the One True God surrounded by the total idolatry of antiquity. This tier contains images of Seth, Enoch, Jared, Methuselah, Noah, and other Old Testament righteous people. 
The fifth tier of the iconostasis is crowned with a Cross. In some iconostases, icons of the Passion of Christ were placed next to it, which formed an additional sixth “passion” tier.
Being an image of the Church, the classic five-tiered iconostasis reveals the ways of God’s economy, His Providence carried out in creation and the history of the world.
The movement from the upper tier of the iconostasis to the lower one opens the path of Divine revelation. The Icon of the Trinity in this regard is the image of the Eternal Council of the Divine Hypostases. The forefathers and prophets of the Old Testament are bearers of faith and hope for the coming appearance of the Redeemer, which is the completion of Divine Providence for man. All icons gravitate towards the main image - Christ from the Deesis order. This gravity is an expression of the unity of Christ and His Church. As Protopresbyter Gregory Florovsky wrote: “...Christ is never alone: He is always the Head of His Body. Neither in Orthodox theology nor in piety, Christ is never separated from the Virgin Mother of God and from His “friends”, the saints; Redeemer and redemption are inseparable... Ultimate The purpose of the Incarnation was for the Incarnate to have a “body,” which is the Church, a new humanity, redeemed and born again in its Head.” The Deesis rite, in this sense, is the completion of the historical process, the image of the Church in its eschatological state, prepared for eternity.
In response to the Epiphany, man ascends from below upward to complete transformation in Eternity. It begins with the acceptance of the Gospel teaching (the evangelists at the Royal Doors), through the synergy of human will and Divine Providence in the Annunciation, participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist (the image of the Last Supper) and ends with conciliar unity, the image of which is also the Deesis series.
The iconostasis did not appear immediately in its classic five-tiered form. In ancient temples, the altar was surrounded by a low fence, in the center of which there was a gate. In the middle of the 9th century, after the victory of the icon-worshipers over the iconoclasts, icons of the Savior and the Mother of God were sometimes placed on the columns on the sides of these gates. Gradually they were joined by the temple icon, then by other locally revered, sometimes miraculous, icons. This is how the local row of the iconostasis gradually formed. In some churches, such single-tier iconostases have survived to this day. For example, in the St. Cyril Church and St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, such single-tier iconostases were installed in memory of Byzantine antiquity.
In ancient churches, icons were placed not only on the sides of the royal doors, but also above them, more precisely on the architrave that connected these columns. Here the central figure, of course, was the Savior, and on the sides, the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist praying to him. This prototype of the Deesis series, according to some researchers, appeared even earlier than the local one.
The presence of an iconostasis in any Orthodox Church is due to the teaching that the Church is a necessary condition for salvation. Salvation is impossible alone, through personal faith and personal aspiration to God alone. A person can be saved only as part of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ. Even a dogmatically unenlightened Orthodox person intuitively senses the need for the Church in the matter of salvation, repeating the proverb: “To whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a Father!”
The iconostasis, which is the image and symbol of the Church, is present not only in the temple. It is present in one form or another in a person’s everyday life. Home icon cases lined with many icons are nothing more than a home iconostasis, reminding the person praying that although prayer is his personal conversation with God, it takes place in the presence of the entire Church.
A Russian person often happens to be a traveler. A warrior, a wanderer, a refugee, a captive, a prisoner, often has to pray outside the temple. Of course, such prayer is no weaker than church services. However, a Russian person feels bad without a church. Therefore, along with travel icons, small images that could be taken with you on the road, starting from the most ancient times, folding icons appear, which, even if they consist of only two doors, can be considered travel iconostases.
When you enter any Orthodox church, in the foreground you can immediately see the Holy of Holies - the altar, which is an image of the Kingdom of Heaven. His main shrine is located in the altar - a consecrated table called the Throne, on which the priest performs his greatest sacrament, when the transformation of bread into the Flesh and wine into the Blood of Christ occurs.
What is an iconostasis?
The altar is separated from the rest of the temple by an iconostasis. When dealing with the question of what an iconostasis is, it should be noted that it is a special separating partition with icons with the faces of saints placed on it. The iconostasis seems to connect the heavenly world with the earthly world. If the altar is the heavenly world, then the iconostasis is the earthly world.
The Russian Orthodox iconostasis contains five high rows. The very first row is called the forefathers, it is the topmost, it depicts the forefathers of the Holy Church from the first man Adam to the Old Testament prophet Moses. The image of the “Old Testament Trinity” is always installed in the center of the row.
And the second row is called prophetic, so the prophets who announced the Mother of God and the birth of Jesus Christ are depicted here. In the center is the “Sign” icon.
The third row of the iconostasis is called Deesis and signifies the prayer of the entire Church to Christ. In the very center of it is the icon “Savior in Power,” which depicts Christ seated as the formidable Judge of the entire world he created. To his left is the Most Holy Theotokos, and to his right is John the Baptist.
The fourth festive series tells the events of the New Testament, beginning with the Nativity of the Mother of God Herself.
And the lowest, fifth, row of the iconostasis is called the “local row”, in the center of it there are the Royal Doors, above which the “Last Supper” icon is necessarily placed, and on the gates themselves there is the “Annunciation” icon (where the good news is communicated to the Holy Virgin), and on both sides of the gate - and the Virgin Mary.
You also need to pay attention to the fact that on both sides there are small single-leaf doors, they are called deacon doors. If the temple is small, then this door can only be made on one side.
Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir: photo and description
In general, the style, shape and height of the iconostasis depend on the study of the architecture and history of the temple in which it will be erected. And it must be scaled in accordance with the proportions of the temple itself, which were designed by architects in ancient times. The design of the iconostasis and the composition of the icons in it changed many times.
The Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir (the photo of which is presented above) has the first iconostasis with fragments that have survived to this day. It dates back to 1408, this is the work of Andrei Rublev and his contemporary monk. Once upon a time, it consisted of high four tiers, among which it was made larger and moved out of the general plan, this showed its special role. The iconostasis in the temple did not cover the dome pillars; thanks to them, it was divided into parts. Subsequently, the Vladimir iconostasis became the model for the iconostases of the Moscow Kremlin Assumption Cathedral (1481) and the Assumption Cathedral in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1497).
History of the cathedral
This cathedral was built under the reign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in the middle of the 12th century, and the most skilled craftsmen from all over the Russian and Romanesque West were invited to Vladimir to complete this work. It was built to store the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the patroness of Rus'. It is assumed that it was written during the life of the Mother of God Herself by the Evangelist Luke. Then in 450 it came to Constantinople and stayed there until the 12th century, and then was given as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky, the father of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Then she saved Russian princely cities from devastation and war many times.
Iconostasis
The question of what an iconostasis is can be continued with an interesting fact about the very first information about the separation of the altar from the rest of the space in the temple by a curtain or barrier, which dates back to the 4th century. Back then, in Byzantine churches, these altar barriers were very low and were made of a parapet, a stone beam (templon) and columns. A cross was placed in the center, and on the sides of the altar there were icons of Christ and the Mother of God. After a while, icons began to be placed on the templon, or relief images were cut out on it instead. The cross was replaced with an icon of Christ, and then with the Deisis (in another word, Deesis, prayer) - a composition of three icons: in the center is Christ the Pantocrator, and the Mother of God is addressed to him with prayer on the left side, and John the Baptist on the right. Sometimes holiday icons or individual icons of saints were added on both sides of the Deisis.
Conclusion
The first ancient Russian churches completely copied Byzantine models. But this was not always possible, because the churches were mostly wooden, and there was no wall painting on them, but the number of icons in the iconostasis increased and the altar barrier grew larger.
The answer to the question of what an iconostasis is must be supplemented by the fact that the high five-tiered iconostasis became widespread in Russia already in the middle of the 17th century, when the local row, holidays, deisis, prophetic and forefathers rows appeared.
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