iconostasis

iconostasis
/uy'keuh nos"teuh sis/, n., pl. iconostases /-seez'/. Eastern Ch.
a partition or screen on which icons are placed, separating the sanctuary from the main part of the church.
Also, iconostas /uy kon"euh stas'/.
[1825-35; < MGk; see ICONO-, STASIS]

* * *

In Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine tradition, a solid screen of stone, wood, or metal separating the sanctuary from the nave.

It has a royal door in the center and two smaller doors on either side. Covered with panel icons, it always includes the icon of the Incarnation (mother with child) on the left and the second coming of Christ on the right; icons of the four Evangelists, the Annunciation, and the Last Supper cover the royal doors themselves.

* * *

 in Eastern (Eastern Orthodoxy) Christian churches of Byzantine tradition, a solid screen of stone, wood, or metal, usually separating the sanctuary from the nave. The iconostasis had originally been some sort of simple partition between the altar and the congregation; it then became a row of columns, and the spaces between them were eventually filled with icons. In later churches it extends the width of the sanctuary, though the height may vary, and is covered with panel icons. The iconostasis is pierced by a large, or royal, door and curtain in the centre, in front of the altar, and two smaller doors on either side. It always includes the icon of the Incarnation (mother with child) on the left side of the royal door and the second coming of Christ the Pantocrator (Christ in majesty) on the right. The sacrament of the Eucharist, revealed through the doors between the two main icons, is thus the manifestation of Christ in the church during the time between his two comings. Icons of the four Evangelists, the Annunciation, and the Last Supper are set over the royal doors themselves. Representations of the archangels Gabriel and Michael, the 12 Apostles, the feasts of the church, and the prophets of the Old Testament are arranged on the iconostasis in complicated patterns, with all figures facing the royal doors.

      The veneration of icons came under attack during the Iconoclastic Controversy of 725–843, but the Eastern church finally recognized icons as the main form of representing divine revelation and as a pictorial history of the Christian mystery to be contemplated by the faithful while being performed behind the screen in the eucharistic sacrament.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Iconostasis — • A great screen or partition running from side to side of the apse or across the entire end of the church, which divides the sanctuary from the body of the church, and is built of solid materials such as stone, metal, or wood, and which reaches… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • iconostasis — [ī΄kə näs′tə sis] n. pl. iconostases [ī΄kə näs′təsēz΄] [ModGr(Ec) eikonostasis < Gr eikōn, an image + stasis, a standing < histanai, to STAND] Eastern Orthodox Ch. a partition or screen, decorated with icons, separating the sanctuary from… …   English World dictionary

  • Iconostasis — In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases ), also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that… …   Wikipedia

  • iconostasis — {{＃}}{{LM I41003}}{{〓}} {{［}}iconostasis{{］}} ‹i·co·nos·ta·sis› {{◆}}(pl. iconostasis){{◇}} {{《}}▍ s.m.{{》}} → {{↑}}iconostasio{{↓}} …   Diccionario de uso del español actual con sinónimos y antónimos

  • iconostasis —    This word (from the Greek eikōn, meaning likeness or image, and stasis, meaning a standing ) refers to the screen or partition, decorated with icons, that separates the sanctuary from the main part of the church; an iconostasis, a fixture in… …   Glossary of theological terms

  • Iconostasis (Iconstand) — It s called Iconostasis, simply a wooden or a marble stand that holds the sanctified icons. It comprises three doors, the central or Royal Door admitting to the main altar. On the right side of the royal door is put our Lord s Icon, while on the… …   Dictionary of church terms

  • iconostasis — noun (plural iconostases) Etymology: modification of Middle Greek eikonostasion, from Late Greek, shrine, from Greek eikono + stasion (from histanai to stand) more at stand Date: 1833 a screen or partition with doors and tiers of icons that… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • iconostasis — noun a wall of icons between the sanctuary and the nave in an Eastern Orthodox church …   Wiktionary

  • iconostasis — ► femenino En las iglesias de rito oriental, biombo de tres hojas que separa la nave del santuario y está adornado con iconos. También iconostasio …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Iconostasis —    Greek for image stand, which can refer to freestanding constructions housing icons (q.v.). One sees these all over the countryside of modern Greece (q.v.), often erected for commemorative purposes (e.g., to mark the site of a former church).… …   Historical dictionary of Byzantium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”