Study Guide: What the Walls of the Orthodox Church Teach Us

Book: Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life by Anthony M. Coniaris
Chapter 9: What the Walls of the Orthodox Church Teach Us

Summary

• The communion of saints in heaven with the saints on earth is a central Orthodox conviction, and it is expressed most powerfully in the iconography of Eastern churches. The pictures are arranged so that the beholder stands within the congregation of saints — he observes and is observed.
• The interior of an Orthodox Church is designed to speak to the worshipper, to establish the mood for worship, to preach the Gospel through architecture and icons, and to elevate the mind to God.
• At the highest point — the dome — reigns Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of all). Below Him stand angels, then the Theotokos, then the apostles, martyrs, saints, and finally on the floor level the members of the Church Militant. Around the all-ruling Christ is gathered the entire Church — both triumphant and militant.
• Each element of the Orthodox church building carries theological meaning: the narthex represents the world, the nave represents the Kingdom of Heaven, the altar is suspended between heaven and earth, and the ceiling represents heaven.
• The iconostasis separates the nave from the altar, symbolizing the temple veil that separated the Holy of Holies. It screens the mystery of God who can never be fully understood by finite man.
• The Orthodox church building is a complete expression of the cosmos: Jerusalem, Mt. Tabor, the Garden of Eden, and the Mount of Olives are all present realities within the parish church — not merely facts of the past.
• Iconography serves to represent phases of salvation history and to remind the local parish that it is in communion with the angels and saints. When the priest censes first the icons and then the congregation, he honors the living icon (image) of Christ which every faithful Christian bears.
• The church is a palace for the King of Kings — it is erected not only to the glory of God, but as a sign of the presence of His glory, an invitation to experience heaven on earth.

Key Themes and Sections

1. Communion of Saints Through Iconography

Cecil Stewart describes the distinctive character of Byzantine church iconography:

"The pictures seem to be arranged in a way which instills a feeling of direct relationship between the viewer and the pictures...each personality is represented facing one, so that one stands, as it were, within the congregation of saints. Byzantine art, in fact, puts one in the picture. Thus is achieved a spatial dynamic relationship across the space of the church. The beholder belongs within the artistic envelope, and is linked visually with the heavenly host. He observes and is observed."

This is not mere decoration — it is a visual theology of the Church as the communion of saints.

2. The Hierarchical Plan of the Interior

The icons in an Orthodox Church follow a deliberate order from top to bottom:

• The Dome — Christ Pantocrator, the all-ruling Lord of the universe
• Below the dome — Angels and archangels who serve Him
• The front/sanctuary wall — The Theotokos, link between Creator and creation
• The ceiling and walls — Episodes illustrating the redemption of the world, pictures of saints who converse with one another
• The iconostasis — Angels, apostles, saints (the Church Triumphant)
• The floor level — The congregation, the Church Militant on earth

Around Christ is gathered the entire Church: that in heaven and that on earth, all together offering the liturgy to their Lord.

3. The Victorious Christ (Pantocrator)

The figure of Christ is placed at the highest point to dramatize His victory. It gives expression to the great victory hymn of the early Church, quoted by Paul in Philippians:

"He lowered His dignity still more, becoming obedient even unto death to the death of the cross. Therefore God has raised Him up and has given Him that name which is above every name so that all things, at the name of Jesus, must bend the knee — those in high heaven and upon the earth, and under the earth and every tongue must proclaim of Jesus Christ, that He is the Lord in the glory of God the Father."

4. The Narthex and the Nave

• The Narthex (vestibule) represents this world, in which man is called to repentance.
• The Nave represents the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Passing from the narthex into the nave symbolizes the Christian's entrance into the Kingdom. The church, like a ship (navis = nave), sails toward the East, toward Christ.

5. The Iconostasis (Icon Screen)

The icon screen separates the nave from the altar. It is symbolic of the temple veil in the Old Testament which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Icons on the screen invite the faithful to a worshipful meditation on God. By screening off the holy of holies, it reminds us of the mystery of God who can never be fully understood by finite man.

The Royal Doors on the iconostasis are called "royal" because Christ the King is carried through them in the Sacrament of Eucharist. They remind us that Christ alone is the door leading to communion with the Holy Trinity.

6. Role of Iconography

The role of iconography in the Orthodox Church is:

• To represent the major phases of salvation history to the worshippers
• To provide a reminder that the small local parish is in communion with the angels and saints

During services, the priest censes first the icons and then the entire congregation — honoring not only the angels, saints, and martyrs, but also the living icon of Christ which every faithful Christian bears.

7. The Holy Altar

From the very beginning Christians honored the memory of those who died in persecutions. The liturgy was celebrated on their graves. From this early custom comes the practice of placing the relics of some martyr or saint in the holy altar of each church upon its consecration.

Key elements of the altar:

8. The Church as Complete Cosmos

Eastern Christians set up their church buildings to convey the whole theology of the Orthodox Church within a single building. Each church becomes a complete expression of the complete cosmos:

Jerusalem? Right in the parish church. Where is Mt. Tabor? Right in the parish church. Where is the Garden of Eden? Right in the parish church.

These are not facts of the past but present realities to the person entering their parish church.

9. Heaven on Earth

The Orthodox church building is an alternative reality in the lives of its people. Rather than a mirror of what people already know and struggle with, it proclaims something else — as an active and saving force. It is erected not only to the glory of God but as a sign of the presence of His glory. It is an invitation to experience heaven on earth.

"The Orthodox church building represents God in the midst of His people, in their joys as well as their sorrows; God calling us to the other alternative, to the 'more excellent way' (1 Cor. 12:31), to the more fulfilling life for which we were created."

Key Quotes

"The pictures seem to be arranged in a way which instills a feeling of direct relationship between the viewer and the pictures...The beholder belongs within the artistic envelope, and is linked visually with the heavenly host. He observes and is observed." — Cecil Stewart

"Architecturally speaking the temple has a cubic form or that of an elongated rectangle, always turned toward the East whence Christ came, like a ship (nave from navis) it floats in the escatological dimension and sails toward the East, towards Christ." — Paul Evdokimov

Discussion Questions

• The Orthodox church building is described as "a complete expression of the complete cosmos." What does this mean? How does entering an Orthodox church differ in intention from entering most modern Western churches?
• The iconostasis screens the Holy of Holies, reminding us of God's mystery. Why might this sense of divine mystery actually draw us closer to God rather than keeping us at a distance?
• The priest censes both the icons and the congregation. What does it mean that every faithful Christian bears "the living icon" of Christ? How should this affect how we treat one another?
• The Orthodox church positions the worshipper within the congregation of saints — the saints observe us as we observe them. How might this awareness change how you participate in the Divine Liturgy?
• The Tabernacle contains the Body and Blood of Christ permanently present in the church. What does this teach about the nature of the Orthodox parish church as a place?
• Each element of the Orthodox church (narthex, nave, dome, altar) carries theological meaning. How does this "total theology in architecture" compare to the church buildings you are most familiar with? What is gained or lost when sacred space has no intentional theological symbolism?
• The Pantocrator at the dome represents the victorious, all-ruling Christ — not primarily the suffering Christ. Why might Orthodoxy emphasize victory as the central image at the top of the church?
• The church is described as "a palace for the King of Kings." How does this understanding of the church building as a royal palace shape the Orthodox understanding of worship itself?
• The Royal Doors remind us that "Christ alone is the door leading to communion with the Holy Trinity." How does the architecture continually preach this Christocentric message throughout the entire service?
• Paul Evdokimov says the church "sails toward the East, toward Christ." What does it mean for a church to have a directional orientation — and why might this matter for worship?

Key Scripture References

• Philippians 2:8-11 — The victory hymn of Christ (Pantocrator)
• Isaiah 6:2-3 — The six-winged seraphim surrounding God's throne (Exapteriga)
• Psalm 19:1 — "The heavens declare the glory of God" (chandelier)
• Luke 2:11 — "Today a Savior is born to us" (sanctuary wall icon)
• 1 Corinthians 12:31 — "The more excellent way" (heaven on earth)
• John 1:9 — Christ as the Light of the World (eternal light)
• Revelation 4:8 — The four living creatures with six wings (seraphim on the exapteriga)

Key Terms

• Pantocrator (Greek: "Ruler of all") — The icon of Christ at the highest point of the church, depicting the all-ruling Lord of the universe
• Narthex — The vestibule or entrance hall of the church, representing this world and the call to repentance
• Nave — The main body of the church, representing the Kingdom of Heaven
• Iconostasis (Icon Screen) — The wall of icons separating the nave from the altar, symbolic of the OT temple veil
• Royal Doors — The central doors of the iconostasis, through which Christ the King is carried in the Eucharist
• Apsis/Apse — The sanctuary wall on which the Theotokos holding Christ is typically depicted
• Exapteriga (Greek: "six-winged") — Circular standards engraved with six-winged seraphim, carried in sacred processions
• Tabernacle — The container on the holy altar in which the Body and Blood of Christ are reserved
• Table of Preparation — The small altar behind the iconostasis where bread and wine are prepared before the liturgy
• Living Icon — The image of Christ that every baptized Christian bears by virtue of being made in the image of God

For Further Reading

• The Orthodox Church — Bp. Kallistos Ware
• The Sacrament of the Holy Spirit — P. Evdokimov
• Eastern Christendom — N. Zernov
• The Orthodox Way — Bp. Kallistos Ware