The icons in the house must be placed in a special place for this. There is a tradition to supply icons on the Eastern Wall shelf, however, if there is no such possibility, it is not necessary to arrange home iconostasis on the east side. Sometimes icons are supplied in the so-called red corner. "Red" means "beautiful" - this is an indication that the place for icons should be clean, neat and beautiful.

Holy images can be placed in all residential rooms. There is a pious tradition in the bedroom to have wedding images. If the family is large, then the icons in each residential room are necessary for the celon prayer of all family members.

In pious believers holy images (or at least one small icon) are located in the kitchen. This is explained by the practice of prayers before and after biting food.

Holy icons can not be placed on the shelf with books having non-Christian content. It is undesirable to supply them to a TV or together with secular pictures - the place for icons should be especially intended for this shrine.

Some believers deliver an icon over the entrance to the house. Often you can see the image Blessed Virgin Mary Odigitria guide, as the Orthodox believer before leaving outside it is useful to pray for help in good endeavors. Sometimes there is a cross over the entrance to the house.

How to arrange icons in the house

The principle of arrangement of icons on home iconostasis is built on hierarchy, like the arrangement of iconostasis in the temple. If the icons are located on the wall, then the Icon of the Holy Trinity or Lord Jesus Christ should be located in the center at the head of the iconostasis. To the right of this image can be placed icon God's Mother, and on the left of St. John the Baptist or a particularly honored saint, for example, Nicholas the Wonderworker. Below can be located other images - angels, holy, prophets, respectable, righteous. Move home iconostasis can crucifixion.

It cannot be said that there are any specific instructions on the order of placement of icons in the home iconostasis (except that the Lord is preferably a central place).

If it allows the prostament, then under the main icons of the Lord and the Virgin Mary, the holy images of the two-month Christian holidays can be placed. In the case when the home iconostasis includes several dozen icons, then under the central images it is also possible to have shrines with the Savior's facilities or the guys of the Virgin and Saints.

Iconostasis in the church.

Iconostasis of the Smolensk Temple of the Novodevichy Monastery. 2010.

Iconostasis - Altar partition, separating the altar and the middle part of the temple, from the north to the southern wall. Consists of icons located by tiers. The number of tiers is from three to five.

In the middle of the lower tier are Tsarist Gate. Right Ot Royal gates - Big icon of the Savior, to the left of them - the icon of the Mother of God with a baby in his arms. On the northern and southern gates - Archangels Gabriel and Mikhail (sometimes holy deacons). Diakone doors are located behind the icons of the lower row on both sides. The icon of the secret evening is placed on the royal gates.

The second tier below contains the icons of the two-month holidays. This is the so-called "festive" row. It can still be called historical: he introduces us with the events of gospel history. The first icon here is Christmas to the Blessed Virgin, then Introduction to the Temple, Annunciation, Christmas, Presentation, Epiphany, Transformation, Entrance to Jerusalem, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption. The number of festive icons can be different.

Third tier - Deesus icons. All this series symbolizes the prayer of the church to Christ who will end on a terrible court. In the center of a number directly over the royal gates and the icon of the "Last Supper", there is an icon "Savior in the Forces". Christ, sitting on the throne with a book, is depicted against the background of a red square with elongated ends (earth), blue oval (spiritual world) and red rhombus (the world is invisible). This image represents Christ as the Terrible judgment of all the universe. On the right is the image of John the Forerunner, the Baptist of the Lord, on the left - the icon of the Mother of God. It is not by chance that this is the "intercession" - the trade is shown in full growth of looking to the left and with a scroll in hand. On the right and to the left of these icons - the images of the archangels, the prophets and the most famous designers, which are the Holy Church of Christ.

Fourth row. If the icons of the third row are peculiar illustrations to the New Testament, the fourth row introduces in us during the time of the Old Testament Church. Here we depict the prophets, who heated about the coming: Messiah and the Virgin, from which Christ will be born. It is not by chance that in the center of the row is the icon of the Mother of the Mother "Oranta" ("sign"), or "praying", depicting a pre-lady with a prayer-raised hand and a baby on the bang.

The top, the fifth tier is called "French". Its icons refer us to events for even more long time. Here, the icons of the Old Testament Righteous and Pupratians - from Adam to Moses (Abraham, Isaac, James, etc.). In the center of the row, the Old Testament Trinity is placed.

The top of the iconostasis is crowned with the image of the crucifixion.

http: //azbyka.ru/dictionary/09/ikonostas ...

http://www.ukoha.ru/article/ludi/ikonocTac.htm.

Home iconostasis .

How to determine the place in the apartment, country houseWhere to put icons correctly? Is it true that icons need to be put only in the corner? How to place icons in the right place, in a specific sequence? Then you will have a home iconostasis, which will not only please the eye, but also to protect the house and its inhabitants, maintain the spiritual purity in the room, fill you with the feeling of goodness. Creating a home iconostasis can be a deed that brings us closer to God.

Previously, houses were built specifically in the calculation on the so-called "red angle". He was given the farthest corner of the hut, on the east side, diagonally from the furnace. In this case, both walls, adjacent with the "red angle", were with windows. It turned out that the iconostasis is located in the most illuminated place at home. Since the Orthodox Church's home iconostasis does not impose too strict requirements, from these rules can be retreated. These are the realities of our life - in modern apartments It is not provided for a place for the "red corner". Just comply with the simplest rules. If possible, it is necessary to choose an eastern wall for the iconostasis. If it is difficult with this, not scary. Just find a free and easily accessible place for it, where nothing will prevent you from praying.

Mandatory condition - have two icons: Savior and Mother of God. The images of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin, as the most perfect of earthly people, are necessary for every Orthodox. As for other icons, it is recommended to get the images of those saints whose names are named family members.

The iconostasis must be located away from the television (in modern life He often replaces us an icon), VCR, computer, music center and another household appliances. However, exceptions are made here. For example, in the work premises (offices, offices) it is not formed to put icons adjacent to computers.If the employee works at home, then the icon placed near the computer serves as a confirmation that this technique is used to distribute the good news that this, created by the hands of people the tool serves as a conductor of the Whaw Will.

Decoration of home iconostasis can be live flowers. Next to the home iconostasis should not be decorative items of a secular character - photos, vases, figurines, paintings, posters, magazine posters and so on. All this reflects the world of physical, material, such images are low and do not correspond to the purpose of sacred icons. Next door to the iconostasis, you can raise images of temples, types of holy land, calm landscapes and so on. It is important that all these species do not contain aggression, did not distract your view from the iconostasis and hung on a relative distance from it.

Domostroy prescribed to put icons in each room. In a person's consciousness, their number was to "pull the sky in the real world:" Every Christian should be in the house, in all rooms, cheat the holy saints, beautifully by the saint, and put the lamps in which in front of the holy images are lit in The time of the molding of the candle, and after the service it is quenched, closed with a curtain of purity for the sake of dust, for the sake of strict order and for preservation; And they should always be squeezed by a clean wing and a soft gloom to wipe them, and the room is always cleaning in purity. " The lower row of such an iconostasis was occupied by the icons "local", "on the bow." In addition to the icons of Christ and the Mother of God, this series occupied particularly personal images, such as the icons of the asoimented saints, blessed icons from parents and relatives, crosses and the burdens with holy relics, lists of famous miraculous images; Finally, the icons of saints - assistants, prayers and intercessors in certain affairs.

It is believed that icons are better standing on a solid surface, and not hanging on the wall. Previously, the iconostasis was placed on a special shelf or even in a special locker - kyota - it is sold in all church shops. Before icons suspend or put a lamp. It must be lit during the prayer, and on Sunday and church holidays She can burn all day.

Iconostasis got its main development in Russian Orthodox church And it was associated with the peculiarities of national temple construction. The temples of the Eastern (and for us rather southern) patriarchates were mainly built of stone. Them interior decoration From the floor to the domes, frescoes were painted with the image of the Lord, the Virgin, the Saints and various theological and historical plots.

In Russian temples, the situation was different. Stone cathedrals were, so to speak, "piece goods" for cities or major monasteries. Most churches were erected from the tree and, accordingly, did not samples inside. Therefore, in such temples instead of frescoes, new icons began to add to the altar barrier and it has grown up to several rows.

How iconostasis appeared

In the Jerusalem Temple, the Holy Saints from the sanctuary separated a huge curtain, which was drunk in two cross death The Savior, as a symbol of the end of the Old Testament and the entry of humanity in a new one.

The New Testament Church in the first three centuries of its existence was in the position of Gonim and was forced to hide in the catacombs. The sacrament of the Eucharist was committed directly on the coffins of the martyrs to the digesters adapted under the Temple of the Cubiculas (rooms), where they were going only. In such conditions, there was no possibility, no particular need to cut into the throne from those present.

The first mention of the temples specially built for the worship service and about altar obstacles or parapets separating the most sacred part of the temple from its main space belong to the IV century.

After the legalization of Christianity, the Holy Equal-Apostles Emperor Konstantin Great to the Church came a huge number of new believers, the level of churches of which was relatively low. Therefore, the throne and the altar was required to protect against a possible disrespectful relationship.

The first altar obstacles looked or as a low fence, or as a number of columns, which was often crowned with a cross-timber - "Architerav". They were low and did not close them all the painting of the altar apse, and also gave the opportunity to observe what was happening in the altar. From above, the cross was usually installed on the architecture.

About similar obstacles mentions in his " Church history"Bishop of Esvestia Pamphil, who, for example, about the church of the Merry Coffin reported the following:" The semicircle apcida was surrounded by so many columns as the apostles were. "

Pretty soon, the cross on the architect was replaced by a number of icons, and images of the Savior (right in relation to the praying) and the Virgin (left), and after some time - to complement this series of other saints and angels, began to place the sides of the royal gazes. Thus, the first single and bunk iconostasis, distributed in the eastern churches appeared.

Development of iconostasis in Russia

The classic multi-tier iconostasis first appeared and received distribution in the Russian Orthodox Church, so that it was associated with architectural features Russian temples, which have already been mentioned above.

The first temples built in Russia copied Byzantine samples. Iconsores in them had 2-3 tiers.

It is not known exactly when they began to grow, but documentary evidence of the emergence of the first four-tier iconostasis belongs to the beginning of the XV century. His installed in Assumption Cathedral Vladimir, whoandrei Rublev and Daniel Black painted. By the end of the century, such iconostasis spread everywhere.

In the second half of the XVI century, the fifth row appears in the iconostasis. In the XVII century, such a layout becomes classic for most Russian temples, and in some of them you can find iconostasis at six and even in seven rows. Further, the "floors" of the iconostasis grow stops.

The sixth and seventh tiers are usually dedicated to the Passions of Christ and, accordingly, the passions of the apostolic (their martyrdom). These plots came to Russia from Ukraine, where they were quite popular.

Classic Pyhyrupical Iconostasis

Pyhyraulic iconostasis today is classic. The lowest tier is called "local". On the left and left of the royal gates always have the icons of the Savior and the Virgin, respectively. On the royal gates themselves - images of four evangelists and the plot of the honors.

On the right of the icon of the Savior, the image of that saint or holiday, which is devoted to the temple in which you are, and to the left of the image of the Virgin, the icon of one of the saints most revered in this area.

Next comes the southern (by right hand from praying) and the northern (on the left) doors. They usually write icons of Arkhangelov Mikhail and Gabriel or Stephen's archicalacons and Lavrenti (although other options are also possible), and the rest of the local row is filled with several saints, also most revered in this region.

The second tier is called "festive." Here, the composition of the composition is the icon of "Last Supper" on the royal gates, to the left and right of which you can see the plots of 12 most significant from the point of view of the Church of the Gospel Events: Ascension, Presentation, the Nativity of the Virgin, Her Introduction to the Temple, Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem, transformation, etc.

The third tier is called "Deisis" - from Greek. "Praying." The central way of this series is the Lord Almighty, depicted in all its strength and glory. He recreses in golden clothes at the royal throne against the background of the Red Rhombus (the world is invisible), the green oval (the world is spiritual) and the red square with the elongated edges (the world of earthly), which together symbolize the fullness of the universe.

The figures of the Prophet, the Forerunners and the Baptist of the Lord of John (Right), the Blessed Virgin Mary (left) and other saints are drawn to the Savior in the poses of the prayer oppression. The figures of the saints are depicted into half a turn to the praying, to show that during the worship of the saints, we will connect to us before God, are in front of him the somdomhatanes in our needs that we ask them.

In the fourth row, we depict the Old Testament prophets, and in the fifth - the forefathers living in the dawn of the emergence of mankind. In the center of the "prophetic" row, the icon of the Virgin "Sign" is placed, and in the center of the "French" - the icon of the Holy Trinity.

Iconsores in modern temples

Building iconostasis, like other aspects of internal church life, are regulated by certain traditions. But this does not mean that all iconostasis is exactly the same. When forming the iconostasis, try to take into account the overall architectural appearance of a particular temple.

If the placement of the temple was converted from some other construction and its ceiling is low and flat, then the iconostasis can well do two- or alone and alone. If you need to show the believer beautiful painting of the altar apse, choose the iconostasis in the Byzantine style to three ranks Height. In other cases, try to establish a classic Pyhyraulic.

The position and filling of the ranks is also not toughly regulated. "Decisian" row can go after "local" and prevail "festive." The central icon in the "festive" tier may not be " Mystery evening", And the icon" Resurrection of Christ ". Instead of a festive number in some temples, you can see the icons of the passions of Christ.

Also above the royal gates often placed the carved figure of the pigeon in the rays of radiance, symbolizing the spirit of the saint, and the top tier of the iconostasis crosses the cross or the image of the crucifixion.

Andrei Stemteda

In contact with

09:10 2012

The device of the Orthodox Temple (II). Iconostasis

Iconostasis It is one of the most important and obligatory elements of the Orthodox Church. The iconostasis is a partition separating the altar from the middle part of the church, referred to as the oil, and certainly styled by icons. Actually the last characteristic and gave the name "iconostasis" denoting "standing images, or icons" (from Greek. Eikonostasis: Icon - an image, an image + Stasis - a place of standing).

The iconostasis was not an invention of any responsible person or a creative figure, it was also not the result of the volitional effort of the ruler or church shepherd. The iconostasis became a carrier of the religious experience of a set of generations of different peoples, their search for the optimal arrangement of a cult building for the implementation of the main goal of religion - restoring communications with the Creator, interrupted by the fall of the first people, the restoration of the blasting. And therefore, no definition of the iconostasis, including those offered by us, can not include all the completeness of the values \u200b\u200band functions of the iconostasis. They are inseparable from the history of the Orthodox church, leading their origin from Old Testament events, church practice (church service, church sacraments), from church art (meaning and destination icon, its iconography and other features).

The basis of the iconostasis lay down three ideasBorn at different times of human religious history, whose interaction gave us what we see today in Orthodox churches and call the iconostasis.

FEOFAN GREK, Andrei Rublev, Prokhor with a city and others
Iconostasis of the Blagoveshchensky Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. XV-XVII centuries.

Scheme series:

A. Local series;

B. Podnynnyy series;

B. Deesus Chin. About 1405;

G. Festive row. About 1405;

D. prophetic row;

E. Brandy series

Location icon layout: 1. Savaof; 2. Our Lady on the throne; 3. Annunciation; 4. Christmas of Christ; 5. Claiming; 6. Design; 7. Baptism; 8. Transformation; 9. Resurrection of Lazarus; 10. Entrance to Jerusalem; 11. Last Supper; 12. Crucifixion; 13. Position in the coffin; 14. Descent to hell; 15. Ascension; 16. Descent of St. Spirit; 17. Assumption; 18. Vasily Great; 19. Apostle Peter; 20. Archangel Mikhail; 21. Our Lady; 22. Christ Almighty;. 23. John the Forerunner; 24. Archangel Gabriel; 25. Apostle Paul; 26. John Zlatoust; 27. Nikola, with miracles stamps; 28. Our Lady Tikhvinskaya, with miracles stamps; 29. Archangel Uriel.

Northern altar door; 30. Savior with the upcoming Virgin and John the forerunner, with saints in the fields; 31. Rama from the icon "Our Lady of Donskaya" with the image of righteous wives; 32. Pasch on the throne; 33. The Annunciation of Our Lady, with the stimples of Akathist. Temple icon; 34. John Forerunner, Apostle Peter and Alexey Man of God; 35. Archangel Rafail.

Southern altar door; 36. Saved with Swaddling Saint Sergius Radonezh and Varlaam Khutynsky, with Proverbs stimples; 37. "Four-Party" icon. 38-39. Propaic row icons; 40-41. Prophetic icons; 42-43. Mine tablet row; 44. Nicola Mozhaisky; 45. Saving the belt; 46. \u200b\u200bResurrection of Lazarus.

First, the oldest of the fundamental ideas of the iconostasis is associated with the submission of a sacred place, separate from the usual reporting world and is only available dedicated. Such premises existed in sacred structures in the pre-Christian period in all cultures, among different nations.

New Testament Temple It retains the traditions of the dispensation of the Old Testament tabernacle of the meeting and revelation, converting it in the light of the redemption of mankind by the Savior of the World and the opening of the kingdom of heaven. The image of the skill, obtained on Sinai by the Prophet Moses, was the embodiment of the idea of \u200b\u200bthe separation of the sacred place for the stay of God and communicate with him. Tabernacle(disassembled portable temple) had three main parts: 1) holy saints; 2) the sanctuary; 3) Tabernaya Courtyard. The most sacred part of the tabernacle - Holy Saints - symbolized the heavenly God's kingdom, so no one came to the Holy Saints of the Old Testament Temple, except High Priestwhich is allowed to enter there only once a year. It was kept here Ark of the Covenant. The holy of saints closed the "deaf" veil, separating the kingdom of God from the rest of the world, even from the sanctuary, in which every day in the morning and in the evening in the satellite of the inquisitiveness, the God's female resin was fired. The image and dispensation of the tabernacle were transferred to the stationary Old Testament Temple, built in Jerusalem the son of King David Solomon.

Four-row iconostasis of the Preobrazhenskaya Church of Kizhsky. Reconstruction

In the Orthodox Church Holy Saints correspond to altar. Before the coming of Christ and the atonement of the sins of human sins, no one could enter the kingdom of heaven, even the righteous, therefore the holy of the saints was closed. Christianity in the world enters new idea, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe New Testament is the redemption and opening of the kingdom of heaven to all people through the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. So in the traditional cult Old Testament construction includes this idea - the openness of the kingdom of heaven, which begins here, on earth, within us.

One of the most important religious philosophical thoughts is now available to everyone in the image: God's kingdom is, but it was closed in the Old Testament, representing the greatest secret of God - the secret of the divine word and sacrificial love, creating and preserving the world. Only the prophets spoke about it.

According to the Holy Scriptures, during the redemption, after the words of the Savior, emitting the Spirit: "happened", the sun focused, an earthquake and a curtain occurred in the Jerusalem Temple. The kingdom of heaven opened, through the sacrificial love of the Savior entered the world. And a person through faith in Christ opens the holy of saints - his heart is primarily for himself for himself. In a Christian, as in the temple, there is a kingdom of heaven, God is, communicating with man and through a person - with the world. Comparing the appointment of parts of the Old Testament and New Testament temples, we see how symbolically embodied the words of the Gospel: "The kingdom of heaven was approaching."

Three-row iconostasis

Double-row iconostasis

New idea The openness of the former sacred being was to affect the disruption of the temple, in relations between the Altar and the Neum (former Holy Saints and the Sanctuary). The interaction begins two ideas - openness and secrets.

Task for christian Mira Not simple. The mystery of Divine creativity and salvation opened and at the same time he remains a mystery. It opens for believers in Christ in their religious experience, gradually, through the sacraments of the Church, awareness of sins, repentance, checking their love for God and people, and this discovery is irrelevant and uneven for people, the knowledge of God is infinite and depends on the person and fisheries of God . And maybe the sacrament of the Eucharist - the mystery of the victims of God, constantly for the world that brings, - to be made in front of all people, among which there may be unbelievers, and just beginning their path in Christ? But the main thing - where is the measure that can be applied to the people who came to the temple? Who may be present, bringing a prayer with a reverent thrill, and who can interfere, distract the priest from the most important of all the cases of human - prayers, committing the sacrament of church?

Of course, such a measure is only in living God. And to establish such a measure on human permission - it means to return to reversal, from grace - to the law, and even established by people, to interfere with the liberation of his heart for God's leadership.

In the oldest Byzantine temples, the altar was not separated.

An excerpt from the text written in the IV century, it allows you to feel like in those days Christians experienced, perceived by the Eucharist: "Fear and the thrill covers the priest in this terrible for him and for the laity of an hour. In his extraordinary quality and in his office, he is evishing horror even to seraphim, there is a son from the dust of the earth as a redemputor, covered by a great fear. The Terrible King, mystically sacrificed and sacrificed, and - frightened spectators fluttering from fear of the Lord. " The altar meant the divine throne, causing the sacred shrog, and the Eucharist was held as "instiving the sacrament".

And over time it began to be used curtain (cataretasma), which was drawn during the commission. Quite early, judging by the description of the church writer IV century. Bishop of Eusevia Caesarian, has appeared so-called block - Low partition with the doors in the middle. Images of such obstacles are often found in the ancient paintings of the temples, especially in the compositions of the Eucharist. Later on this low barrier began to put icons, usually two, on the right and left of the royal gates.

The interior of the temple of the monastery in the choir - the most preserved its primordial species of the Byzantine Church in Istanbul (formerly. Constantinople)

This includes the third idea of \u200b\u200bthe iconostasis - icons like windows in the spiritual world. Being in the nefa of the temple, believers are not simply fenced off from the altar, but are facing the history of the salvation of humanity and in front of the spiritual world, to look and enter which every person can thanks to the many windows whose role is performed by icons, images of iconostasis. So the balance was found between the need to preserve the spirit of reverence when making the sacrament of the Eucharist and the possibility of presence and participating in it of every believer, and at the same time, only God knows the mercen.

In this form, it should be, the iconostasis moved from Byzantium to Russia and so existed until the XV century., When the iconist reaches a special heyday and the church begin to be filled with a variety of icons repeating almost all the temple wall painting. The icons on the altar barrier are already set in several rows, tightly to each other, and the obstacle itself is advanced, closing oriental poles, an altar and a diaconnik, or a sacristy, repository of sacred vessels, liturgical purposes, books, wines, prosphorated and other items necessary for worship and commit

In the XV-XVI centuries. There is a Russian type of iconostasis - high iconostasis. The Russian iconostasis is the most difficult and unlike Greek characterized by strict horizontal and vertical construction. Iconostasis, according to the perceived Greek-Byzantine tradition, has three doors. Middle doors are called royal gates, because only through them the priest puts the pace (bowl) 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. On the royal gates, the Annunciation and Four Evangelical are depicted.

Other gates northern and southern, carry images of archangels or saints deacon (sometimes saint) and are called diaconianbecause they usually pass deacons through them. The priests pass through these gates during worship several times, and the bishop never, since, symbolizing Christ the Savior, he passes through the royal gates.

As a sign that after the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, the kingdom of heaven opened for people in the New Testament Temple, the altar opens in everything essential moments worship. But only those who make a worship service can enter the altar or serving during him, only in church closure and only during the service.

Icons on iconostasis are located in a certain order, on tiers (or ranks, or rows).

Classic Russian high iconostasis looks like this. On right from royal gates located savior icon, but left - Mother of God with baby. Next to the icon of Christ are placed temple icon (It shows the holy or sacred event, which is dedicated to the temple). it local Yar.

Above the local one is located deesus (Decisian) (from Greek. D'EESIS is a prayer) a row, symbolizing the prayer of the entire heavenly church to Christ. Central icon of this series - "Savior in power" - depicts the Savior as a judgment of the whole world (in the royal or bishop closure on the heavenly throne). Left and right - images of the upcoming foremost in prayer God's mother and John the Baptist. These images symbolize perfect prayer, as in the Most Holy Virgin and John the forerunner of the highest holiness, which is possible for the human race. On the other side From the central images of the Savior, the Mother and John the Forerunners are located icons of praying apostles and other saints, so this tier is sometimes called apostolic.

Third Chin Wears title "festive", Because here, in strict accordance with the plot and compositional canons, the main Orthodox holidays are depicted.

Following, the fourth rank is a prophetic. It is placed icons of Old Testament Righteous - ProphetsThose who received a revelation of the incarnation of the Savior and the Virgin Mary. The icon of the Mother of God "Sign", symbolizing the entry of Christ, is located in the center of this series.

The fifth tier of the iconostasis - the French - Contains images pretchev - Old Testament Patriarchs and the Icon of the Holy Trinity in the center.

Directly over royal gates Located icon "Last Supper".

In the center above the top floor is the cross (Calvary) - A symbol of redemption of mankind and victory of Divine love over death.

Iconostasis of St. Isaac Cathedral
XIX century St. Petersburg

IN Ancient Russia This type of iconostasis was the most common, although the number of tiers could and decrease to one row, with the mandatory image of a secret evening over the royal gates. Under the icons of the lower row, almost the most floors, even the images of pagan philosophers and Sivill were placed in ancient times, as they, although they did not know the true God, they sought him to knowledge.

Iconostasis, like the whole altar, is on an exalted placewhich is issued in the middle part of the temple and called salus.

The established rules and the formed traditions in the arrangement of Orthodox churches are strictly observed, but differences (not fundamental), due to the characteristics of a particular temple, are also allowed, therefore, each Orthodox church is also unique in its own way as externally and internally.

Orthodox church may have additional altarsForming temple feathers, respectively each altar has its own iconostasis.

Latin temples are also richly decorated.
The picture is famous gold altar cathedral In Seville, in Spain.

Consists of several rows or, as they are also called, tiers or ranks. The number of rows can be varied depending on local traditions and categories of the temple.

At the turn of the XIV-XV centuries, there were 3 rows in the iconostasis, in the XVI century there were 4, by the end of the XVII century, the number of quantities of some iconostasis increased even to 7, but the most common became the pyhylaigric structures.

All rows are of particular importance and symbolic name.

The first, the lowest is a local row. It is named so because there are icons on the holy or holidays particularly important in this terrain. Such icons are called locally.

Some icons in this tier are constant in any temple. On the right of the royal gates will always be the icon of the Savior, the left - the face of Our Lady. It symbolizes the fact that Christ and Virgin Mary meet everyone on the way to the Heavenly Kingdom and accompany on the way to eternal life. The image of the right of the icon of the Savior is called "temple" and depicts a saint or event, in honor of which the church is named. For example, in the Assumption Church, at this place is a scene of the Assumption of Our Lady, in Nikolskaya - Nikola.

Over the locals there is a festive row. It consists of icons of the two-month holidays and images of passionate and easter weeks. Interestingly, in the earliest iconostasis, he follows the third tier, over Deesus - but then it began to have it below so that believers could better consider the festive plots.

The third row, the central and most important, is called Deesus. In the center of him there is a "saved in the forces", depicting Jesus - a judge, and in the edges there are faithful to Christ with the saints prayer. Therefore, the name of the rank and comes from the word "deisis", which translated from Greek means "prayer".

The fourth row of the iconostasis is a prophetic, and the fifth tier is the rapid.

In some cases, there is still a passionate series over the rapid, depicting the sufferings of Christ in the last week on the eve of the crucifixion and resurrection.

At the very top, Golgotha \u200b\u200bis always depicted - "inaccessible mountain". In front of it, everyone who came to the temple are inclined.

If we talk about the structure of the iconostasis, The simplest thing is a hard one (the term comes from the Russian word "timber" - a bar, which, in turn, happened from Latin Tabula - a board). In the hard iconostasis icons are placed on logs, in special gutters. The logs themselves are covered outside with paintings with colors with flowers and patterns and are fixed in special recesses on the northern and southern walls of the temple. This is the most ancient view of the iconostasis, over time, his decoration became becoming richer. So, K. XVII century Many iconostasis have acquired sculptural decorations and even gold-plated wooden carvings - despite the disapproval of the church, called it "Western and Mirsky." Today, on the contrary, not only the iconostasis and the central part of the Orthodox church, but all objects differ in luxury decoration