Icon "Transfiguration of the Lord": description of the plot and image

The icon "Transfiguration of the Lord" is a sign of the event described in the Gospel. What is the significance of this icon and what are the varieties of its writing, this article will tell.

The icon "Transfiguration of the Lord": a plot

This image depicts the evangelical event that happened to Jesus Christ and his disciples: John, Peter, and Jacob. Six days before the meeting, the Savior spoke with his apostles. He told them that He would soon be killed, but three days after His death would rise. Noticing that some of his disciples were distressed by these words, Christ decided to show them all His greatness and divinity. The Son of God invited the apostles to go up Mount Tabor for prayer. During the prayers a miracle happened, namely, the Christ transfiguration. The Savior's face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white, like light. In this event, the appearance of the Old Testament prophets of Moses and Elijah occurred, which spoke with Jesus about his outcome. Subsequently, all three came a bright cloud, from which the Voice of God was heard, which proclaimed that Christ is the Son of the Lord. The Savior asked his apostles not to tell anyone about this event before his miraculous Resurrection.

Icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord: image

At present, there are many variations of this image. Let's consider some of them. Thus, to this day the image created in the 15th century, which, according to some sources, was written by Theophanes the Greek , is preserved . He depicted the Transfiguration of the Lord dynamically and moveably. A characteristic feature of this icon is the depiction of the apostles, blinded by the divine radiance, in rather sharp angles. And the icon depicts not only the Transfiguration itself, but also the events preceding it. Thus, 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 the lower (terrestrial). The icon on the right shows the final event - the departure from the mountain of Jesus and the apostles. That is, in one image, three plots that make up the Transfiguration of the Lord have found their place. An important place in the icon is played by its color scheme, which only strengthens the contrast between the earth and the sky. The author of the second most famous image of the image of "Transfiguration of the Lord" is Rublev Andrey, a Russian icon painter. His version of the display of this evangelical event is not dynamic, as the previous one, but static. Here there is only the main event - the Transfiguration itself. This icon was also written in the XV 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 now valuable relics not only of Christians, but of the entire population of the Earth.