Statues of angels: review, history and interesting facts

The image of angels, whose purpose is to serve God and fight his enemies, is often used in art. Symbols of light and invisible to the eye of the world are decorated with palaces, parks, temples, small figurines of cute figurines with wings can be seen in homes. Wards protecting a person have a strong energy, and according to the teachings of feng shui, angels give the hosts strength and inspiration.

The Messengers of the Lord

Images on the icons of mediators between the Lord and people acquire a religious meaning, and in Christian cemeteries, the statues of angels are set in memory of the departed relatives and narrate about sorrow and love. To some extent they carry a ritual meaning and are identified with the deceased.

Historically, winged creatures are made of marble - a noble stone with excellent strength. Most often, the angels have a snow-white color, symbolizing purity, but there are sculptures and other shades.

Gloomy angel in the cemetery in Iowa City

Statues of angels in cemeteries are considered a classic of ritual art. Guardians guarding the graves, freeze with open wings, as if rushing to heaven. And in Iowa City (USA), in a cemetery, a terrifying statue crowns the family grave, around which many soul-chilling legends go around. In 1913, after the death of her son and husband, TD Feld'yevert ordered an unusual sculpture, which stands out among other monuments of the necropolis.

Its powerful wings are not straightened, and the black angel (statue) looks into the ground. Gloomy facial expressions and cold eyes cause visitors only desire - to get out of here as soon as possible. According to legend, the ashes of a grief-stricken woman were reunited with her relatives, and at a funeral a lightning struck suddenly at the funeral, after which the light statue turned black. Local residents believe that this happened for a reason, and accuse the deceased in the murder of her son and husband. Allegedly she was so punished for terrible sins. It is believed that the spirit of the criminal moved into a sculpture and everyone who touches her, does not die by her own death.

This is the most popular place in the cemetery, and students often come here at night, checking their courage.

"Smile of Rheims"

If a small Iowa cemetery has brought incredible popularity to the gloomy messenger of God, then the Reims cathedral is laughing. A smiling winged creature crowns the highest point of the temple, adorned with two thousand sculptures. It is no exaggeration to say that the marble statue of an angel overshadows the other sculptures on the facade of the French religious monument.

The history of creation, located on the border between spiritual and material, is rather tragic. During the bombing of the city in 1914, a stone masterpiece fell from the height and crashed. His remains were carefully collected by the abbot of the temple and hid in a hiding place, and only 12 years after the restoration, the laughing angel returned to his former place. He became a symbol of the cultural heritage of the country, destroyed by German barbarians. "Raims smile" personifies God's grace, and it seems that cold marble radiates heat.

The mischievous boy on the roof

Speaking about Russia, St. Petersburg beats all records on the number of God's envoys guarding their beloved city from adversity. Statues of angels attract tourists' sights, and each statue has its own history. One of the most unusual custodians settled in 2007 on the roof of the consulate of Lithuania, and this is a very cheerful angel, unfortunately, while inferior in popularity to Reims.

A funny mischievous person, swinging his legs down, invites you to visit Vilnius. The sculptor assures that he created a boy with black heels in the image of a real child. A sweet angel holds tightly to the roof, and he does not care for the strong winds and torrential rains of the glorious city on the Neva. It is said that sometimes a boy winks, and those who saw it are waiting for wonderful news.

Steel Messenger of Heaven

Modern statues of angels often surprise with their architectural decision, and the 20-meter-high sculpture that appeared in the English Gateshead is a confirmation. This is a unique messenger of heaven, whose wings are borrowed from the real "Boeing".

The two-hundred-ton "Angel of the North", slightly inclined forward, as if about to soar into the sky, was established in 2008 and initially provoked a negative reaction from local residents. However, today a steel monument located in the open air is considered the main attraction of northern Britain. True, many tourists who got acquainted with the work of the sculptor Gormley, compared the creation with a powerful cyborg.

Weeping Bronze Angel

The grief that befell the relatives who lost their loved one is represented by the sculptures of crying angels on the graves. The grieving biblical characters eloquently express the feelings of people who have lost loved ones. However, there are statues that cry not at the will of their creator, and this is an unusual bronze statue installed in the cemetery in Cleveland (USA).

The weeping angel of death, who holds in his hands an inverted torch, personifying life, produces a frightful spectacle on the visitors. The figure that protects the grave horrifies by the fact that traces of oxidation of metal, well visible on empty eye sockets, resemble bloody tears. Symbolizing a bygone life sculpture, put on the grave of F. Hezeroth, seems real and evokes a lot of emotions.

Revived statues

Recently, so-called living sculptures are gaining popularity, with which one can be photographed. For the first time this direction of art appeared in Barcelona in the 70s of the last century. Actors took to the streets, portraying with the help of makeup, costumes, pantomime characters of Greek and Roman mythology.

Now serves as a real decoration of various presentations, festivals, corporate parties invited living statue. An angel, a historical or fantastic character, frozen in a certain pose, immediately captures the looks and causes genuine interest among visitors of different ages.

Sculptors did not even suspect that a new kind of art will appear, and the living statues will accurately convey the image created many centuries ago.