Before the creation of the visible world, the Lord created disembodied spirits, that is, angels, endowed with reason and free will, who initially fully complied with God’s will. There are nine angelic ranks. Three of them — the principalities, angels and archangels — can appear to the chosen people, transmitting to them the will of the Lord. The highest angelic rank consists of archangels, they are the only ones given their own names. Only two of them, Michael and Gabriel, appear in the Christian canon. The apocryphal texts mention six more: Raphael, Selaphiel, Uriel, Barachiel, Jegudiel and Jerahmeel.
In Ancient Greek, “archangel” (ἀρχι ἄγγελος) means “the chief of the messengers”.
In the 4th century, there was a heretical doctrine which called to worship angels as rulers of the world who could accept prayers from people. The Church Fathers condemned this heresy at the Council of Laodicea; however, they did not prohibit addressing prayers to angels nor did they denounce the miracles they performed.
The Archangel Michael is called the Archistrategos, the commander of the Heavenly Host, who defeated the devil; Michael, the guardian of Paradise, also holds the scales on which sins and righteous human deeds are weighed. This explains the archangel’s iconographic depiction: Michael appears in military armor, a chiton and a cloak with an embroidered ceremonial panel (a tablion) or a dalmatic with a loros (a long, embroidered cloth). In the right hand, the archangel holds a spear or a sword, in the left — a shield or a mirror as a symbol of Divine providence.
As a rule, the image of the Archangel Michael is placed in churches as part of the Deesis composition with angels on the northern doors of the iconostasis.
The iconostasis is an indispensable part of the décor of an Orthodox church. Structurally, it serves to separate the main space of the church and the altar part. The appearance of the iconostasis has changed over the centuries, but it has always been beautifully decorated: the images placed on it visually complement and accompany the services and are designed to get the worshipers in the right mood. In the center of the structure are the double Royal Doors, flanked by the Deacon’s Doors.
The work of the artist and icon painter of the Borisovskaya Sloboda Mikhail Ivanovich Khvostenko was connected with the church theme in many ways: he created icons and paintings dedicated to evangelical subjects, and worked on scenery for a religious drama. The artist applied different facets of his skill set and experience to create this sketch with the image of the Archangel Michael for one of the Deacon’s Doors.
In Ancient Greek, “archangel” (ἀρχι ἄγγελος) means “the chief of the messengers”.
In the 4th century, there was a heretical doctrine which called to worship angels as rulers of the world who could accept prayers from people. The Church Fathers condemned this heresy at the Council of Laodicea; however, they did not prohibit addressing prayers to angels nor did they denounce the miracles they performed.
The Archangel Michael is called the Archistrategos, the commander of the Heavenly Host, who defeated the devil; Michael, the guardian of Paradise, also holds the scales on which sins and righteous human deeds are weighed. This explains the archangel’s iconographic depiction: Michael appears in military armor, a chiton and a cloak with an embroidered ceremonial panel (a tablion) or a dalmatic with a loros (a long, embroidered cloth). In the right hand, the archangel holds a spear or a sword, in the left — a shield or a mirror as a symbol of Divine providence.
As a rule, the image of the Archangel Michael is placed in churches as part of the Deesis composition with angels on the northern doors of the iconostasis.
The iconostasis is an indispensable part of the décor of an Orthodox church. Structurally, it serves to separate the main space of the church and the altar part. The appearance of the iconostasis has changed over the centuries, but it has always been beautifully decorated: the images placed on it visually complement and accompany the services and are designed to get the worshipers in the right mood. In the center of the structure are the double Royal Doors, flanked by the Deacon’s Doors.
The work of the artist and icon painter of the Borisovskaya Sloboda Mikhail Ivanovich Khvostenko was connected with the church theme in many ways: he created icons and paintings dedicated to evangelical subjects, and worked on scenery for a religious drama. The artist applied different facets of his skill set and experience to create this sketch with the image of the Archangel Michael for one of the Deacon’s Doors.
