Everyone who happened to be in the Orthodox church saw double doors opposite the Throne, leading to the altar and symbolizing the gates of Paradise. This is the Royal Gate. They represent a certain heritage, preserved from the early Christian times, when the altar was separated from the rest of the temple by two columns, or a low barrier. After the church split, the barrier was preserved only in some Catholic churches, while in the Orthodox, it, having changed, turned into an iconostasis.
Icons on the gates of Paradise
The royal doors in the temple are decorated with icons, the selection of which is regulated by established tradition. Usually these are images of the four evangelists and the scene of the Annunciation. The symbolic meaning of this combination is quite obvious - Archangel Michael, through his Gospel, announces that the doors of Paradise are reopened, and the Holy Gospel indicates the path leading to it. However, this is just a tradition, not a law requiring strict observance.
Sometimes the Royal Doors are decorated differently, and if they are low wings, they often do not have any icons at all. Also, by virtue of the tradition prevailing in Orthodox churches, the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary is placed to the left of the royal gates, and on the opposite side is the Savior, followed by the icon of a saint or holiday in honor of which the church is consecrated.
Jewelery placed on and above the Royal Doors of the side aisles
If the temple is large enough, and in addition to the main altar has two additional chapels, then often the gates of one of them are decorated only with the image of the Annunciation in growth, and the other with four evangelists. But this does not always allow the size that these or other royal gates of the iconostasis in the church have. Evangelists in this case can be represented as symbols. People close to the church know that the symbol of the evangelist Matthew is an angel, Luke is a Taurus, Mark is a lion, and John is an eagle.
Church tradition also defines images above the Royal Gates. In most cases, this is the scene of the "Last Supper", but often also occurs the "Communion of the Apostles by Jesus Christ", which is called the Eucharist, as well as the Old Testament or New Testament Trinity, adorning the Royal Doors. Photos of these design options can be seen in this article.
Features of the manufacture and design of the Royal Gates
At all times, the architects who were engaged in their creation, opened up wide creative opportunities. In addition to appearance, design and decoration, the result of the work largely depended on what the Royal Gates were made of. Visiting temples, one can see that they were made using a variety of materials, such as wood, iron, porcelain, marble and even ordinary stone. Sometimes the preference given to one of them was determined by the artistās artistic intent, and sometimes by the availability of a particular material.
The Royal Doors is the entrance to Paradise. Usually they are the most decorated part of the iconostasis. For their design, various types of carving and gilding can be used, the frequent plots of which are images of grapes and paradise animals. There are also the Royal Doors, made in the form of the Heavenly City of Jerusalem. In this case, all the icons are placed in the ark churches, crowned with chapels with crosses. There are many design options, but in all cases the gates are located strictly in the middle of the iconostasis, and behind them is the throne, and even further - a high place.
origin of name
They got their name from the fact that, according to the doctrine, during the holy communion, it is through them that Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, invisibly comes to the laity. However, this name is found only in Russian Orthodoxy, while in Greek churches they are called āSaintsā. In addition, the name "Royal Gates" has deep historical roots.
In the IV century, when Christianity became the state religion and went underground, by order of the emperors, divine services in Roman cities were transferred from private houses to basilicas, which were the largest public buildings. They usually housed courts and trading exchanges.
Since only the emperor and the head of the community, the bishop, had the privilege of entering through the main entrance, these gates were called "Royal". Only these persons, being the most honorable participants in the service, had the right to solemnly proceed through them to the premises. For everyone else, there were side doors. Over time, when altars formed in Orthodox churches, this name passed to the double-leaf door leading into them .
The formation of the altar in its modern form
According to research results, the formation of the altar of the temples in the form in which it exists now was a very long process. It is known that at first it was separated from the main room by only low partitions, and later by veils called ācatapetasmsā. This name has survived to this day.
At certain moments of the service, for example, during the consecration of the Gifts, the veils were closed, although they often dispense with them. In general, in documents related to the first millennium, references to them are quite rare, and only much later they became an integral part of the Royal Gates, they began to be decorated with images of the Virgin and various saints.
A funny episode related to the use of the veil can be found in the life of Basil the Great, who lived in the IV century. It tells us that the saint was forced to use this attribute that he had not used before, only because his deacon constantly looked at the women present in the church, which clearly violated the solemnity of the service.
The symbolic meaning of the Royal Doors
But the Royal Doors in the church, photos of which are presented in the article, is not an ordinary element of the layout of the interior. Since the altar behind them symbolizes Paradise, their semantic load lies in the fact that they represent the entrance to it. In Orthodox worship this meaning is fully reflected.
For example, at the Vespers and All-Night Vigil at the moment when the opening of the Royal Gates occurs, light is lit in the temple, which symbolizes the filling of it with heavenly light. Nevertheless, those present at this time make a bow bow. They do the same in other services. In addition, in the Orthodox tradition it is customary, passing by the Royal Gates, to overshadow themselves with the sign of the Cross and bow. Throughout the entire Easter week - Bright Week - the Royal Doors in the temple (photo at the end of the article) do not close, because Jesus Christ, through his suffering on the cross, death and the subsequent resurrection, opened the doors of Paradise to us.
Some church rules regarding this topic
According to the established rules, only clergymen are allowed to enter the royal gates of the iconostasis in the church and only during divine services. In normal times, they are obliged to use the so-called deaconās doors located in the northern and southern parts of the iconostasis.
When a bishopās service is performed, only the subdeacons or ponomarias open and close the Royal Gates, but they are not allowed to stand in front of the Throne, and upon entering the altar, they take places on either side of it. The bishop also owns the exclusive right to enter the altar part without vestments outside the divine services.
Liturgical appointment of the Royal Doors
During the liturgy, the Royal Doors play a very important role. It is enough to mention the Small Entrance, when the Gospel taken from the Throne is brought through the Deaconās Gate, and carried back to the altar through the Royal. This action has a deep dogmatic meaning. On the one hand, it symbolizes the Incarnation, as a result of which the world has found the Savior, and on the other, the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ.
The next time a procession of clerics follows through them during the Great Entrance, followed by the performance of the Cherubic Song. The laity present in the temple is brought out the Cup with wine - the future blood of Christ. In addition, in the hands of the priest is the discos (dish) on which the Lamb is located - the bread that will be embodied in the Body of Christ.
The most common interpretation of this rite is that the procession symbolizes the carrying of Christ, taken from the cross and dead, as well as his position in the grave. A continuation of the Great Entrance is the reading of the Eucharistic prayers, after which the Gifts will become the Blood and Body of Christ. For the communion of the laity, they are also carried out through the Royal Doors. The meaning of the Eucharist lies precisely in the fact that the Savior is resurrected in the Holy Gifts, and those who partake of them, become heirs to Eternal Life.
Preserved Shrines
There are many cases when the Royal Gates were transferred from one temple to another as a shrine. This happened especially often during the years of perestroika, when removed from churches destroyed by communists and secretly preserved by believers, they were installed in the iconostases of new, recently rebuilt churches, or those that were restored after many years of desolation.