A Visit to an Orthodox Church

Once gracing the lavish floor of Getty Center, the Coronation of the Virgin which was painted by the extraordinary Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano in 1420, attracted many attentions by its sacredness, powerfulness and magic of the Christ. At 36 ⅝ inches and 25 ¼ inches size tempera, Christ gently places the ornate gold grown upon Virgin Mary's slightly bowed head by the watching of angels from either side as she becomes the Queen of Heaven. Since the first century, Christianity has played an important role in Western Art, which has inspired numerous artists in making their masterpieces. However, artists must follow the religious ‘rules to build up the imagery of the Christ, and educate audience about the religious. Coronation of the Virgin by Fabriano is a perfect presentation of that.

Although the surface of the artwork has been fairly damaged by smoke from burning candles and incense, there is still a suggestion of the bright circular halos which had once ‘crowned’ both the Virgin and the child. Cooper relates the symbolism of the circle as “one which expresses archetypal wholeness and totality and therefore divinity” (1982:19). The upper body of Mary appears very large, especially in comparison with the Christ-child, whose body ‘fits’ into her bosom, which is generally associated with comfort. Almost as though she tries to console him concerning his future death (Tansey & Kleiner, 1996: 312).

walls, there are paintings of the Life of the Virgin. On the bottom of the walls there are images of the seven ecumenical councils. The song “The Last Judgement” is painted on the west wall. Numerous figures of martyrs are painted on the pillars, and there are also many icons. There used to be an icon of “Our Lady of Vladimir,” but later on the icon was moved to St. Basil’s Cathedral so it wouldn’t be stolen because it was so expensive. There are icons of the Virgin Hodegetria, Saint George, Trinity. There is a large iconostasis, which is a screen bearing icon that separates the sanctuary from the nave, that occupies the whole wide wall of the cathedral.

I attended a mass at Saint Haralambos Orthodox Greek Church. The church is located in Niles which is a suburb of Chicago on Caldwell Street in between Touhy and Howard Street. The mass I went to was on the Sunday of Orthodox which is known as the first Sunday of Lent where they honor the icons. The most important foundations that are highlighted in Greek Orthodoxy are the Bible and Holy Traditions that have been passed down (“Greek Orthodox Church”). The Greek Orthodox Church believes that the bible is motivated by God. Some important dogmas of the church include things such as the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the role that Virgin Mary had, and honoring the icons. The holy sacraments are what lead Greek Orthodox believers that they are reaching

On the other hand, Vladimir Virgin is a medieval Byzantine icon of the Virgin and Child. Virgin Mary is seen as the holy protector of Russia. Like I said earlier, it is one of the most respected Orthodox icons and an early example of iconography of the Eleusa type. The icon is displayed in a gallery called Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The icon was believed to be painted in Constantinople sometime around the 11th and 12th century. The theme I picked is associated with

The outside of the church is very humble in appearance. It doesn’t look like a place of worship at all from the outside, but the statue of Shinran Shonin in the front makes the building seem particularly important as you pass by. As we ascended the stairs, there was a small garden of flowers surrounding the Shinran Statue, which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. There was a hand painted sign that said “Autumn Festival” hanging from the front fence. The foundation of the church is slightly elevated as well.

The exterior of the church is very different from the ones we are used to in the sense that the church itself is vividly painted with all types of icons dating back to the mid 1960s. The tradition for this types of paintings is however rather old and in the orthodox creed these paintings are particularly important because they show the saints for whom the church was erected and whose name they usually take.

Greek Orthodox Church is encompassed by Livingston’s working definition of religion. ​Every symbol in the Greek Orthodox Church is directly related to that which “sacred value and transforming power.” For example, during our visit to the church, we noticed that the main sanctuary was clearly divided into three sections by a wall with images of saints and icons, which is known as the iconostasis. I learned that the three different sections are the narthex, the nave, and the altar. Upon further research, the iconostasis symbolizes the link between heaven and Earth, the gate which we will one day be able to cross. There are typically paintings of saints and icons on the iconostasis, which that also holds meaning for the church goers. Because this area is typically not accessible by the church goes, it provides a clear indication for what we should strive for: to someday access heaven. Thus, this corresponds to one of the types of theodicies that Livingston presents. Greek Orthodox believe in an other-worldly theodicy. They believe that they will eventually be rewarded after death in another world. During Orthros, only the reverend can be behind the iconostasis. This area, known as the altar or sanctuary, is one of the holiest space within the church and not many are allowed to enter

Moutiers-Saint-Jean was founded by a hermit called John of Réôme in the fifth century in dedication to the Virgin Mary. “His sanctity drew others to him and enabled him to found a religious community dedicated to the Virgin. Such monasteries grew up in Burgundy and elsewhere from the cells of disciples clustered around the hermitage of a holy person.”1 It was the monasteries dedication to the Virgin that inspired the biblical scene on the arch of the doorway to be the Coronation of the Virgin. In the scene, Christ and Mary are enthroned in the Kingdom of Heaven. This scene was popular because rich imagery of the story was used “…in order to glorify the

While constructing both of these cathedrals there were sculptures created that represented narratives of theology and mysticism. Both were created for a place of worship that’s why sculptures and paintings of religious images were added. This showed a great respect for the belief in Christ and the surrounding believers.

When the service started it began with prayer, during the service there were moments of prayer, and the service ended with prayer. Something that I found very entertaining was the form of worship that they used which was singing. They sang a lot of different songs that worshiped God. You could tell who went to church a lot because they knew all the songs by heart. For those like me that didn’t know the songs, the words were projected on to the wall so you could sing along with everyone else. There was also a live band that played the music to sing to. This part of the service was really entertaining to me and I really enjoyed it.

At the top of the painting, God and the Holy Spirit are emerging from an arc of light and stars, which bathe Mary and Christ in the divine rays. Mary and baby Christ are the best lit, as well as the two figures painted in the richest colors. The painting is designed to evoke a meditative feeling from the viewer, but also signify the religious devotion of the

Divine LiturgyThe Divine Liturgy plays a central role in the lives of Orthodox Christians. Worship in Orthodox Churches is characterized by the chanting of prayers and the frequent use of incense which symbolizes the prayers

Macedonia Baptist Church provides an environment which encourages spiritual growth, life skills and higher education. Though small in number, the organization offers financial assistance to college students. The youth ministries’ teach the importance of community service by allowing youth to participate in projects that involve service to others; particularly, nursing home residents. Additionally, the Outreach ministries offer encouragement, change and hope to those in need.

St. Peter Claver was a humble looking church, without the towering spires or detailed architecture that some churches possess in order to fill you with worshipful awe. In fact, it would have been almost unrecognizable as a church if it were not for the relatively small silver cross that hung above the door, not even raised above the line of the roof. Walking into the church did not change the sense of humility that the outside professed. Dark wood lined the walls and floor, and made up the pews. It felt almost like stepping into a cabin that had been built in the 1970’s. Along the walls there were small portrait sized depictions of the fourteen stations of the cross. Unlike St. Agnes’s eye catching and baroque decorations, St. Peter Claver’s artwork almost blended into the background, and was not immediately visible. It appeared that the artwork mirrored the nature of the building itself, almost as if the church wanted to dispense with frivolity and maintain its focus on the practice of its faith.