The Holy Cross in Iconography: “In this sign conquer”
The third installment of the talk on iconography with Father Sergious, the head of the icon-painting studio and icon painting school at St. Elisabeth Convent:
On the third Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate the Veneration of the
Holy Cross. Therefore, our discussion today will be about the meaning of the Cross
in iconography, as well as its symbolism in the church. On Saturday, the Holy Cross
will be brought out during the all-night vigil and will remain in the center of
the church for the duration of the week. The Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross
is a certain midpoint of the lent, as the Cross became a vital step for our
path towards Easter.
First, I would like to say that it is very difficult to imagine the
Christian church without the Holy Cross. The Cross has become an integral and
irreplaceable part for the church as well as everyday Christian life. Interestingly
enough, the depiction of a crucifix appears much later in church history in
comparison to other images. There are specific reason for this. The first is historical. Crucifixion was a
terrifying and shameful death and only the worst types of criminals were
subject to such torture and execution. For example, if a person had a certain social
status and wealth he would never be executed in such a manner.
This type of execution was both demeaning and disgraceful for a person.
This horrible form of capital punishment continued to exist for several
centuries until Christianity was finally recognized as a legitimate and finally
official religion in the 4th century. During this time, people would
often encounter and see crucified criminals and the suffering that they
endured. As you can see, at that moment the symbol of a cross could have been
easily misinterpreted, as opposed to the deep symbolic meaning it acquired afterwards.
Therefore, with the disappearance of
this severe execution, new images begin to appear.
 |
| Icon of St.Constantine |
Here is another interesting version of the crucifixion scene with
biblical references. On the right, we see the crucified Christ and on the left –
the death of Judas. Below him, there is a bag with the pieces of silver.
However according to the scripture, Judas returned the thirty pieces of silver
by throwing them at the feet of the elders in the temple. Here, the main
purpose of the bag with silver coins is to identify Judas to the viewer. Turn
your attention to the parallel of the two trees. The first tree is the cross,
on which Christ is crucified. It symbolizes the tree of life. The other tree is
the tree of death because by taking his own earthly life, Judas is sentencing himself
to eternal death and suffereing. Christ is shown here in an interesting manner.
His body resembles the shape of the cross with the arms and legs at a straight angle,
which makes it, seem as if He is floating in the air. The image also does not
seem to portray him suffering physically; his eyes are open, and the sign above
him says “King of Glory”. It is unclear if the image is depicting His death or birth.
Once again, there is no mention of the suffering or death that is seen in contemporary
iconography.
Another symbolic image of the cross is that same “chrism” that appeared
to Emperor Constantine. It is crowned with a laurel wreath as a symbol of
victory. On the image we see the cross itself, two soldiers guarding Him, two
birds and the wreath on top. Although the image does not show Christ, but at
the same time it symbolically points to Him.
From the beginning, Christian religious art was focused to illustrate
the text from the Gospel as well as to paint a descriptive image of the
crucifixion. It attempts to portray the dogmatic depths of the event, which if
I may say so, is life changing as it occurs in the end of Our Lord’s earthly
life. This event is important not only for him but for every single person. As
it is a true cornerstone for all of humanity’s existence.
Christ turned to the wise thief, who is pictured to right of Him. In turn,
the wise thief has his head lowered, which signifies repentance. The sun and
the moon, pictured on the top corners, point to the cosmic reality of the event
that is occurring. They indicate that nature in its entirety is present, as if
it has stopped in the eternity, and it is not just an execution on a certain
day. Using the imagery of the heavenly bodies the iconographer also attempts to
demonstrate the “reaction” of nature towards the crucifixion, basing their
conclusion on the scriptures in which the evangelists mention the events that occurred
between the sixth and until the ninth hour. (Mathew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:
44-45)
 |
| Wooden Cross from the Woodcarving Workshop of St. Elisabeth Convent |
The icon of Resurrection also has a cross, but this cross processes a
different meaning: The Lord descends into hades, takes Adam by the hand and brakes
the gates of hell with the cross. Within this image lies the meaning of the crucifixion.
The cross is not only an instrument on which Christ was crucified as a man but
more importantly it is a weapon with which along with His death Christ: “Trampled
down death by death”.
The Cross is not just a symbol of suffering and death, it is first and
foremost the symbol of victory over death and victory over sin! The crucifixion
of Christ defeats death and opens the door to every person to be a part of
Christ’s resurrection. This is the very reason why the church has such a high
regard and pious veneration of the Holy Cross. The Cross is pictured on icons,
it is placed above all else in church architecture and we wear the cross on our
chest. Many of the images of the cross became masterpieces throughout history.
Even today, numerous crosses are created, painted and crafted by iconographers,
woodworkers, and other masters who glorify God through their work.
“The Cross is the
guardian of the whole world; the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross
is the might of kings; the Cross is the confirmation of the faithful, the Cross
is the glory of the angels and the wounding of demons” (Exapostilation of the
Exaltation of the cross)
 |
| Cross Stained Glass Panel |
