Iconography

The Biblical Account of Ascension

The Ascension icon portrays the ascent into heavens of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, forty days after His Resurrection. The event is described in Luke 24:50-51, Mark 16:19 and Acts 1:9-11.

The Importance of the Feast

Through His Resurrection, Christ achieves two things in His human body: incorruption and immortality in a glorified body that is no more bound by the laws of the fallen Creation. In this glorified state, Christ ascends, assisted by angels and witnessed by the Theotokos and the Apostles, and sits at the right hand of the Father.

The Ascension of Christ therefore confirms that Christ is indeed God, one of the Holy Trinity, and also introduces human nature in the life of the Trinity, as He ascends with His body.

Ascension is therefore the glorification of Human nature. St. Gregory Palamas says that if the Resurrection is the feast of all people, because everyone will be resurrected, then the Ascension is a feast only of the saints, who seek and achieve glorification in Christ.

Christ Pantokrator

The Ascension icon depicts the full icon of Christ in the center, ascending into glory, blessing and seated on a throne, or sometimes on a rainbow. This icon is called the Pantokrator, the icon of the Almighty God. The term “Pantokrator” is the term used in the Nicene-Contantinopolitan Creed where in English we recite: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.” This is also is the general term used for an icon of Christ holding a Gospel in his left hand and blessing with the right.

The throne conveys the full divinity of Christ Who, although incarnate, never left His righteous place on the throne of the Holy Trinity while the rainbow reminds us of the heavenly throne of God in Rev. 4:2-3.

Around Christ we see some concentric circles of various colors, called the mandorla, which suggests the different realm of God’s existence. The Mandorla is supported by angels who sometimes feature trumpets recalling Psalm 45: “God is gone up in jubilation, the Lord with the voice of the trumpet” (Ps. 46:5) and reminding us of the fact that, at His second coming, Christ will return in the same way as He ascended: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Our large dome can accommodate the full icon of Christ that visually opens the heavens to see Christ on His throne of glory. It also conveys the dynamic movement of the scene as it depicts both Christ ascending into the heavens and also His Second Coming, according to Acts 1:11 “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” This movement invites the faithful to participate in the permanent ascent towards the place at the right hand of the Father that is prepared for all who diligently work to reach theosis, union with God.

The Theotokos

The Theotokos is portrayed right under Christ ascending, in the middle of the apostles. Although she does not appear in the biblical accounts, she is portrayed in the icon as she represents the Church. She does not look up, but looks in our direction us. She holds her left hand (or sometimes both hands) close to her chest, with palm(s) forward – a posture common for the icons of the martyrs. This suggests the unwavering faith of the Church. In contrast to the apostles, who gaze unsettled towrds the departing Christ, the Theotokos appears still and peaceful, as she has achieved, before the apostles, complete union with God in theosis.

The Apostles

Eleven of the Twelve Apostles are depicted alongside the Holy Apostle Paul, positioned around the Theotokos. Six apostles stand on her right and six on her left, with St. Paul on her right and St. Peter on her left. Unlike the Theotokos, whose gaze remains serene, the apostles lift their heads, with some gesturing of amazement or pointing towards the ascending Christ. St. Paul, shielding his eyes with his right hand, recalls his moment of being blinded by the light of Christ on the road to Damascus.

Although the apostle Paul was not there at the time of the Ascension, he is portrayed alongside the Holy Apostle Peter because, together with the other apostles and the Theotokos, they represent the entire Church, in expectation of both the Holy Spirit and the Second Coming of Christ. It is the Church, depicted in the span between His departure and His return.

Icons in the Orthodox Church are not just depictions of persons or events in history, but they always convey deeper theological meanings and connections with other salvific events.

The Prophets

Under the dome, the cylindrical part of the dome tower is called the drum. Here we find the icons of the holy prophets who have foretold about the coming of the Messiah. The prophets, although, not part of the icon of of Ascension, they support the deep connection and continuity between the Old and the New Testament in the history of salvation. The presence of the prophets also underscores the divinity of Jesus Christ portrayed in the dome and clarify his identity as the prophesied Messiah.

The Evangelists

The dome tower is supported by four spherical triangles caled pendentives that are adorned with the icons of the 4 evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The evangelists are depicted with their respective symbols, which are based on the vision of the four living creatures in the Book of Ezekiel (1:10) and the Book of Revelation (4:6-7). These creatures have been traditionally associated with the four Evangelists, each symbolizing a different aspect of Christ’s nature and mission:

1. Matthew is symbolized by a man (or angel), representing the humanity of Christ and emphasizing His Incarnation. Matthew’s Gospel starts with the genealogy of Christ, focusing on His human lineage.
2. Mark is symbolized by a lion, symbolizing Christ’s royal dignity and His resurrection, as the lion was believed to sleep with its eyes open, symbolizing vigilance. Mark’s Gospel begins with John the Baptist roaring in the wilderness like a lion.
3. Luke is symbolized by an ox (or bull), representing Christ’s sacrifice and priesthood, as oxen were common sacrificial animals in ancient times. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the sacrificial nature of Christ’s mission.
4. John is symbolized by an eagle, representing the divine nature of Christ and the lofty, spiritual insights of John’s Gospel. The eagle soars high, reflecting the spiritual heights of John’s theology.

The presence of the evangelists with their symbols on the pendentives supporting the dome emphasize the idea that the Gospels are the foundation of the Church.

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FURTHER READINGS:

Constas, Nicholas. The Art of Seeing: Paradox and Perception in Orthodox Iconography. Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2014.

Evans, E. P. (Edward Payson), Animal Symbolism in Ecclesiastical Architecture, Henry Holt and Company, 1896.

Mathews, Thomas F. “Cracks in Lehmann’s ‘Dome of Heaven’.” Source: Notes in the History of Art, vol. 1, no. 3, 1982, pp. 1-27.

Mathews, Thomas F. The Early Churches of Constantinople: Architecture and Liturgy. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1971.

Olofsson, Carl. The Four Evangelists: Their Symbols in Christian Art. Art Media Publishing, 1996.

Ouspensky, Léonid, and Vladimir Lossky. The Meaning of Icons. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1982.