The Church
The Church is the House of God where the Holy Spirit lives and dwells in it since its consecration. This is the reason that we cross ourselves when we pass an Orthodox Church and walk in the Orthodox Church with great respect.
It is the place where people join in Christianity through baptism and become a member of the Body of Christ. It is the place where Christians come to save their souls and find comfort in their sorrows, as well as celebrate in the joy of worship.
“The interior of the Orthodox Church is designed to speak to the worshipper, to establish mood for worship, to preach the Gospel through architecture and icons, and to elevate the mind to God to praise and worship.” The Church is composed of three parts:
The Narthex
The Nave (The Main Church)
The Altar (IERON VEEMA)
The Narthex
The first part of the Orthodox Church is the Narthex, which represents the outside world. As one passes through The Narthex into the Nave (The Main Church), it symbolizes the entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Present in The Narthex is the icon of the Patron Saint of The Church, the icon of the Virgin Mary, and the icon of the feast of the day. On Sundays is the icon depicting the Gospel. The faithful show respect by making the sign of the cross before the icons upon entering.
It’s also where the Faithful light a candle for the health of family members or a friend. Candles are also lit for the soul of a deceased Orthodox person. They represent the light of Christ and the hope of everlasting life. When we light a candle, we pray for the person for whom we lit it. So the candles are to be respected and to let burn for respected times.
The Nave is highly decorated and has extensive use of royal colors and a hierarchical plan of icon arrangment. The church edifice itself represents the universe and the ceiling, heaven.
The highest point, the dome, has an icon of the Pantokrator (Ruler of Everything) painted on it representing Christ looking down through heaven upon the parishioners, hearing their prayers, and showing His ever-presence in the universe. On the four corners of the dome are the four Gospel writers: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. This is an expression that through their writings, the word of Jesus will be spread to the four corners of the earth.
On the front wall, or the sanctuary wall (apse), a large painting of the Theotokos (Mother of God) holding Christ is painted above the holy table. Its purpose is to express the incarnation. It is a visual expression of Scripture:
“Today a Savior is born to us; a Child was born to us, and a Son was given to us.”
The elevated front part of the Nave is the solea. It is the space where all the sacraments and processions take place. The throne of the Bishop and the stand for the chanters (the analogion) is located to the right. To the left, the pulpit or amvon is located where the Gospel is read in the Divine Liturgy and sermons are given.
The Iconostasis (Icon Screen) separates the Nave from the altar on the solea. It separates the holy of holies from full view of the worshipper, representing the mystery of God who can never be fully understood by man.
The icon screen has three (3) doors. The Center door is called the Royal Door; only clergy can pass through the Royal Door. It is the passageway to the altar upon which the Sacrament of Holy Communion takes place, and where the Priest presents the precious Body and Blood out to the congregation. On it adorns Christ with the inscription, “The Good Shepherd” in Greek. The arch of the Royal Doors have two angels depicting Christ’s ascension to Heaven. On the left and on the right of the Royal Door, are two doors of the icons Archangels Michael and Gabriel representing guardians to the Gates of Heaven.
Facing the icon screen on the right of the Royal Door is the icon of Jesus Christ, He sat at the Right Hand of the Father. Next to Him is always the icon of Saint John the Baptist, who Baptized Him. On the left side of the Royal Door is the icon of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ. Next to Her on Her right is the icon of the Saint or the event to which the Church is dedicated.
At Saint John’s are the following icons on the icon screen from left to right: St. Basil, the Archangel Michael on the left deacon’s door, the icon of the epiphany, the Theotokos, the icon of Christ the High Priest on the Royal Doors, the icon of the Life-Giving Christ, St. John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel on the right deacon’s door, and St. Demetrios.
Directly above these icons are the portraits of the 12 disciples, and on top of the Icon screen is the sign of the Cross.
The remaining portion of the Nave is where the Faithful sit in prayer. The balcony overlooking the Nave in the back occupies the choir.
The Altar (Ieron Veema)
The altar is where the sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion takes place.
The prothesis, a side table to the left, is where bread and wine are prepared for the Consecration.
On the center of the holy altar is kept the tabernacle. The Ten Commandments were kept in the tabernacle in the Old Testament; and in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Himself dwells in the tabernacle. The church, is thus truly ever present of God in a very real way, and why the Faithful makes the sign of the cross when passing before the holy altar.
The eternal light is a light that suspends above the tabernacle. It constantly burns representing that Christ is present in the tabernacle as the “Light of the World.”
The Gospel is on the holy altar where Christ constantly is present as the “Word of Life.”
Directly behind the altar is a large wooden cross depicting Christ suffering crucifixion for our salvation.
Icons
Icons are painted pictures which depict an event from the life of Christ or the portrait of a person who reached sainthood. They represent some of the major events of the history of salvation. They are also called “windows to heaven.”
During services, the Priest first censes the icons and then the congregation. All of which is a reminder that each parish is together with the angels and saints.
During the course of the history of the church, some icons became miraculous because of the miracles they performed through the command of God. The veneration of the icons has been in practice from the first day of Christianity.
The Orthodox Church uses icons to express the incarnation and are venerated, not worshipped.
