The Transfiguration of God icon is a sign of the event that is described in the Gospel. What is the significance of this icon and what varieties of its writing exist, this article will tell.
Icon "Transfiguration of the Lord": plot
This image depicts the gospel event that happened with Jesus Christ and his disciples: John, Peter and James. Six days before him, the Savior had a conversation with his apostles. He told them that He would soon be killed, but three days after His death, He would rise again. Noticing that some of his disciples were upset over these words, Christ decided to show them all of His greatness and divinity. The Son of God invited the apostles to climb Mount Tabor for prayer. During the prayer, a miracle happened, namely, Christ's transfiguration. The Savior's face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. At this event, the phenomenon of the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elijah, who spoke with Jesus about its outcome, also occurred. Subsequently, a light cloud dawned on all three of them, from which the Voice of God was heard, which proclaimed that Christ was the Son of the Lord. The Savior asked his apostles not to tell anyone about this event until his miraculous Resurrection.
Currently, there are many variations of this image. Let's consider some of them. So, the image created in the 15th century, which, according to some sources, was written by Theophanes the Greek , has been preserved to this day . He depicted the Transfiguration of the Lord dynamically and fluidly. A characteristic feature of this icon is the image of the apostles, blinded by the Divine radiance, in rather sharp foreshortenings. Moreover, the icon depicts not only the Transfiguration of the Lord, but also the events that precede him. So, the left part of the image shows how Jesus Christ leads his disciples to Mount Tabor. The transfigured body of the Savior is in the center of the icon. You can also note the symbolic division of the image into two parts: the upper (heavenly) and lower (earthly). The icon on the right shows the final event - the departure of Jesus and the apostles from the mountain. That is, in one image, three plots that make up the Transfiguration of the Lord found their place.
An important place in the icon is played by its color scheme, which only enhances the contrast between the earth and the sky. The author of the second most famous image of the image of the “Transfiguration of the Lord” is Andrei Rublev, a
Russian icon painter. His version of the display of this gospel event is not dynamic, like the previous one, but static. Here, only the main event takes place - the Transfiguration itself. This icon was also painted in the 15th century.
Icon “Transfiguration of the Lord": meaning
To overestimate the importance of this image is very difficult and even impossible. After all, the icon reflects the events that formed the basis of one of the twelve, the most important Christian holidays, which is celebrated annually on August 19. The images themselves, created by Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev, are currently valuable relics not only of Christians, but of the entire population of the Earth.