icons of st catherine's monastery, sinai

[6], Many agree that the icon represents the dual nature of Christ, illustrating traits of both man and God,[7] perhaps influenced by the aftermath of the ecumenical councils of the previous century at Ephesus and Chalcedon. I n March of 2007 I had the good fortune of visiting the Getty Museum in Los Angeles to visit the exhibit, “Holy Image/Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai.”This was a collection of icons on loan from the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai. Many thanks to the Getty Museum for having sponsored the wonderful collection of icons from the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Sinai. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. One of the most important icons in the Monastery’s collection and represents the two faces of Christ. WordPress. [23], Survival from Byzantine Iconoclasm and aftermath. Galey, John, Forsyth, George, and Weitzmann, Kurt. In March of 2007 I had the good fortune of visiting the Getty Museum in Los Angeles to visit the exhibit, “Holy Image/Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai.” This was a collection of icons on loan from the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai. ( Log Out /  Nelson, Robert S., Collins, Kristen M., and J. Paul Getty Museum. [17] In fact, the monastery at Sinai is the only place in the world where a substantial number of these encaustic icons, particularly those dating from as early as the sixth century, have been preserved. The monastery gained support for its foundation, and its icons were cleaned and well taken care of by the museum. Because of this and because of its isolated location, it has been somewhat immune from the ravages of persecution, the monastery’s collection of icons is one of the largest and oldest in Christendom. [1] It is the earliest known version of the pantocrator style that still survives today, and is regarded by historians and scholars to be one of the most important and recognizable works in the study of Byzantine art as well as Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Change ), Monastery Icons Posts YouTube Video on Painting Icons, Holy Image/Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai, https://monasteryicons.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/the-icons-of-the-monastery-of-st-catherine-of-sinai/. The style of this St. Catherine’s Monastery’s icon is similar to the consular diptychs of the Roman Empire in his carrying the cross-staff (scepter and keys (like a consular mappa). [22] Even today the monastery houses more than 2,000 icons, dating from the sixth century to modern times. In which Christ is presented in the act of blessing with His right hand while holding a closed gospel book in His left. This category has only the following subcategory. According to tradition, Muhammad visited the monastery and was given sanctuary; in turn he granted protection to the monastery complex and the monks – an “order of protection” secured in a written document and honored from 640. St Antipas Icon Sinai 13th century.jpg 1,101 × 1,417; 1.63 MB. This page was last edited on 21 November 2019, at 14:19. Icon with the Heavenly Ladder of Saint John Climacus, late 12th century, tempera and gold on panel, 41.3 x 29.9 x 2.1 cm (The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt) Middle Byzantine Icons After Iconoclasm, perhaps to avoid accusations of idolatry, Byzantine icons became less naturalistic. [14] Otherwise there is only one spot with major damage, a large portion of Christ’s hair on his left side, including his left ear and shoulder. [16] As with many of the early icons from Sinai, the Christ Pantocrator was created by using this technique, known as encaustic—a medium using hot wax paint—that would rarely continue to be utilized in the Byzantine world after the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries. ( Log Out /  And the public had a unique oportunity to view such a wonderful collection of icons which otherwise they would never perhaps have heard of. (2008, May 21). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Saint Catherine’s Monastery is the oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery in the world. Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Greek Orthodox monastery situated on Mount Sinai more than 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) above sea level in a narrow valley north of Mount Mūsā in the Sinai peninsula. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, Archangel Gabriel Icon in Blue and Red.png, Archangel Gabriel Icon wearing sacred blue.png, George John Ephraim Triptychon fragment Sinai 14th century.jpg, Icon of Apostle Philip (10th c, St. Catherine monastery, Sinai).jpg, Isajah & Mary Icon Sinai 13th century.jpg, John the Baptist Icon Sinai 14th century.jpg, Ladder of Divine Ascent Sinai 12th century.jpg, Last Judgement Sinai 12th century (detail).jpg, Lazarus Miracle Icon Sinai 12th century.jpg, Lazarus Miracle Icon Sinai 13th century.jpg, Michael Miracle Icon Sinai 12th century.jpg, Moses & Bush Icon Sinai c12th century.jpg, Nativity, St. Catherine Monastery, Sinai, 6th century.jpg, St Eustratius Miracle Icon Sinai 12th century.jpg, St Theodor & George Sinai 9-10th century.jpg, The Ladder of Divine Ascent Monastery of St Catherine Sinai 12th century.jpg, Transfiguration of Christ Icon Sinai 12th century.jpg, Vethiy Denmi (Icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery).jpg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Icons_from_Saint_Catherine%27s_Monastery,_Mount_Sinai&oldid=376818828, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [20] Therefore, by the time the era of iconoclasm had been initiated by Emperor Leo III in 726, the Monastery of Saint Catherine had already been protected under Muslim rule for nearly a century and was able to survive the destruction of iconoclasm. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. [2], For a time the icon was thought to have been dated from the thirteenth century, since it had been almost completely painted over at that time, but it was concluded in 1962 that it is in fact from the mid-sixth century, although the exact date of production is still unknown. Diane Apostolos-Cappadona of Artcyclopedia gives a brief history of the monastery: Formally established in the 6th century, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine exists at a site sacred to the three monotheistic traditions of the West. Media in category "Icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai" The following 56 files are in this category, out of 56 total. Anyone who has visited a church or museum and seen original icons knows that prints, or even photos, of these icons cannot reproduce the colors, details, and subtlety of the original iconography. “The Pilgrim’s Progress: Art, Architecture and Ritual Movement at Sinai.”. Chatzidakis and Walters, “An Encaustic Icon,” 202. [21] Furthermore, the location of the monastery in the rocky desert of Sinai, far away from any major trade or military route, kept the contents within St. Catherine’s safe from raiders as well as conquering armies. [5] Because of this, it is generally believed to have been produced in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the. This page was last edited on 23 March 2020, at 02:31. The collection of icons from the monastery at the Getty exhibit represented the more famous of the monastery’s icons, but the true extent of the monastery’s collection is unknown, except to the supervising monks of the monastery, and perhaps a few priviledged art historians and scholars, the Getty staff among them. As I walked through the several rooms at the museum dedicated to the icons of the monastery, I was in awe. Chatzidakis and Walters, “An Encaustic Icon,” 201. I was surprised to see that the icon was so large (36.6 inches x 20.9 inches). [15] The original encaustic surface has continually been preserved in excellent condition overall. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. [19], The Muslim Arabs quickly took control of the entire Fertile Crescent south of the Turkish mountains, including Egypt and Sinai, cutting the monastery’s ties with Constantinople in the year 640. Saints of Sinai.jpg 720 × 960; 271 KB. And I was left with a desire to visit not only St. Catherine’s Monastery to see more of it’s holy icons, frescoes, and illuminations, but to be in the sacred atmosphere which has been built and expanded by centuries of prayers and monastic life. Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment, […] MonasteryIcons. Christ Pantocrator, Encaustic on wood, St. Catherine’s Monastery Sinai, 6th century. Weitzmann, Kurt. ( Log Out /  “The Mosaic in St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai.”, Coleman, Simon and Elsner, John. ... Nativity, St. Catherine Monastery, Sinai, 6th century.jpg 382 × 465; 223 KB. Petersinai.jpg 738 × 1,333; 161 KB. The first icon to greet me was the renowned icon of Saint Peter, an encausitic icon painted in the sixth century. [9] His right hand is shown opening outward, signifying his gift of blessing, while the left hand and arm is clutching a thick Gospel book. ( Log Out /  Three clipea at top echo consular triad of emperor, empress and co-consul.