DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0398
CHAPTER TWO. THE ICONOGRAPHIC PROGRAMME | 395
sentation» words addressed to the infant Christ are heard: «О Lord,
the fortress of those who trust in Thee, strengthens the Church which
Thou created through Thy precious blood»93. In the iconographic pro-
gramme, as in the words of the «The Presentation» canon, the thought
of the indivisibility of the Church and the Redemption is emphasized,
again stressing the role of Christ as both priest and sacrifice. He was, in
the words of the liturgical prayer, the One «who offers and who is of-
fered», and this became the reason for the greatest theological dispute
of the epoch and of the church synod in 1156-7. It is revealing that in
the Nerezi frescoes, commissioned by one of the synod’s participants,
the «The Presentation of Christ in the Temple» and the «Lamentation»
are demonstratively set opposite one another in the second tier of the
south and north walls. This close proximity was the result of a topical
theological idea and once again shows the Constantinopolitan sources
of Akhtalas iconographic programme.
RESURRECTION SCENES
On the same level as the «Lamentation» in the second tier of the south
wall there are three scenes of resurrection, continuing the Christolog-
ical cycle94. In the centre is the «Descent into Hell», which is the most
vivid embodiment of the Resurrection in Eastern Christian art95. To
either side are shown «The Holy Women at the Sepulchre» and the «In-
credulity of Thomas». The two weeks following Easter are devoted in the
Orthodox Church, respectively, to St Thomas and the Holy Women and
to these confirmations of the miraculous event. The three scenes create
a triumphal image of the most important Christian festival. The disrup-
tion of chronology here indicates the symbolical nature of the cycle: it
was to recall the exceptional dogmatic significance of the resurrection
as an essential condition for the salvation of mankind. A hymn espe-
cially devoted to this theme, «In that we have beheld the Resurrection of
Christ...», follows immediately after the communion in the liturgy and
thereby indicated the profound connection between the resurrection of
Christ and access to the life eternal through the Eucharist.
The iconography of all three scenes of the resurrection reveals in-
teresting features. The «Descent into Hell» is for the most part given
a thoroughly traditional interpretation96. Christ stands in the centre
sentation» words addressed to the infant Christ are heard: «О Lord,
the fortress of those who trust in Thee, strengthens the Church which
Thou created through Thy precious blood»93. In the iconographic pro-
gramme, as in the words of the «The Presentation» canon, the thought
of the indivisibility of the Church and the Redemption is emphasized,
again stressing the role of Christ as both priest and sacrifice. He was, in
the words of the liturgical prayer, the One «who offers and who is of-
fered», and this became the reason for the greatest theological dispute
of the epoch and of the church synod in 1156-7. It is revealing that in
the Nerezi frescoes, commissioned by one of the synod’s participants,
the «The Presentation of Christ in the Temple» and the «Lamentation»
are demonstratively set opposite one another in the second tier of the
south and north walls. This close proximity was the result of a topical
theological idea and once again shows the Constantinopolitan sources
of Akhtalas iconographic programme.
RESURRECTION SCENES
On the same level as the «Lamentation» in the second tier of the south
wall there are three scenes of resurrection, continuing the Christolog-
ical cycle94. In the centre is the «Descent into Hell», which is the most
vivid embodiment of the Resurrection in Eastern Christian art95. To
either side are shown «The Holy Women at the Sepulchre» and the «In-
credulity of Thomas». The two weeks following Easter are devoted in the
Orthodox Church, respectively, to St Thomas and the Holy Women and
to these confirmations of the miraculous event. The three scenes create
a triumphal image of the most important Christian festival. The disrup-
tion of chronology here indicates the symbolical nature of the cycle: it
was to recall the exceptional dogmatic significance of the resurrection
as an essential condition for the salvation of mankind. A hymn espe-
cially devoted to this theme, «In that we have beheld the Resurrection of
Christ...», follows immediately after the communion in the liturgy and
thereby indicated the profound connection between the resurrection of
Christ and access to the life eternal through the Eucharist.
The iconography of all three scenes of the resurrection reveals in-
teresting features. The «Descent into Hell» is for the most part given
a thoroughly traditional interpretation96. Christ stands in the centre