iconographer for greek orthodox churches in the south

At the center of the Holy Doors is an Icon of the Annunciation to the Most-Holy Theotokos, since this event was the prelude or beginning of our salvation. At the center of the first, or lowest, tier, are the Holy Doors, on which are placed Icons of the four Evangelists who announced to the world the Good News the Gospel of the Savior. Standing on the boundary between the Divine and the human, the Iconostasis reveals, by means of its Icons, the ways to this reconciliation.Ī typical Iconostasis consists of one or more tiers (rows) of Icons. Thus the Iconostasis both divides the Divine world from the human world, but also unites these same two worlds into one whole a place where all separation is overcome and where reconciliation between God and man is achieved. The Holy Icons denote that the Savior, His Mother and the Saints, whom they represent, abide both in Heaven and among men. It is seen as the boundary between two worlds: the Divine and the human, the permanent and the transitory. įollowing these interpretations, the Iconostasis also has a symbolic meaning. Simeon the New Theologian, the corresponds to earth, the to heaven, and the holy to what is above heaven. It is foreshadowed in the Patriarchs, is based on the Apostles., it is foretold by the Prophets, adorned by the Hierarchs, sanctified by the Martyrs, and its high Altar stands firmly founded on their holy remains. According to Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople, a Confessor of Orthodoxy during the iconoclastic controversies (7th-8th Centuries), the church is the earthly heaven where God, Who is above heaven, dwells and abides, and it is more glorious than the tabernacle of witness.

The Holy Fathers envisioned the church building as consisting of three mystical parts. In ancient times, the Iconostasis was probably a screen placed at the extreme Eastern end of the church (a tradition still preserved by Russian Old-Believers), but quite early it was moved out from the wall as a sort of barrier between the Nave and the Altar, with the opening and closing of curtains making the Altar both visible and inaccessible. All three phases of iconography work have been funded through donations from congregation members.The most prominent feature of an Orthodox church is the Iconostasis, consisting of one or more rows of Icons and broken by a set of doors in the center (the Holy Doors) and a door at each side (the Deacon's Doors). Manos started the current work in mid-November and hopes to complete it by Dec. The current phase will complete all of the iconography in the altar area and on the walls beside it. The second phase completed nine years ago involved the dome in the roof of the sanctuary, Nakos said. The first phase of work included several important images and scenes on walls behind the altar. He started work at Holy Trinity about 15 years ago, Nakos said. Manos typically creates and installs icons for churches in phases. Orthodox icons are intentionally slightly abstract so the faithful can focus on the religious meaning of the art rather than be distracted by physical features of the art. Orthodox icons differ from images of Jesus and saints in other Christian churches, where the art often depicts them in a more realistic Renaissance style, Manos said. “Without art and what it’s all about - the meaning behind it - it is part of me.” He returned to the United States in 1986, and since has worked at 35 to 40 churches around the country, including Orthodox Church cathedrals in Detroit, New Orleans and Cleveland. He began working in Greece after studying iconography at Orthodox monasteries there on Mount Athos. “It was God’s will for me to come back into the church,” he said. Originally an abstract painter, Manos has been painting icons since 1972.

Iconographer for greek orthodox churches in the south