In the center of the local - the lowest - row of the iconostasis are royal doors. Symbolically, they are the gates of Paradise, opening the way to the Kingdom of Heaven for a person.

In Byzantium, the central doors of the temple were called the Royal Doors. After the liturgical exclamation of the priest “Doors! Doors! the ministers closed the entrance to the temple and only the “faithful,” that is, the baptized, were present at the Eucharistic canon. The later meaning and name of the Royal Doors was transferred to the central doors of the altar, located directly opposite the Throne. Only clergymen can enter the altar through them and only during worship. The Royal Doors open at strictly defined moments of worship. And during the Bright (Easter) week, the Royal Doors do not close for a whole week.

Traditionally, the figures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary are placed on the two wings of the Royal Doors, forming together the scene of the Annunciation, as a symbol of the fact that through the Incarnation of the doors of Paradise, locked after the fall of man, they again became open to everyone.

Also, the images of the four evangelists are placed on the Royal Doors, as a sign that with the Joyful News of the Incarnation of Christ and through communion with the Gospel sermon, the doors of salvation open to man.

In Byzantium, and later in Ancient Russia there was a practice to place on the Royal Doors the full-length images of the Old Testament prophet Moses, who arranged the Tabernacle for the sacrifice, and the first priest of the Jerusalem temple Aaron in liturgical robes, as well as the figures of St. John Chrysostom and Basil the Great - the authors of the Divine Liturgy.

A vivid image of the Heavenly City of Jerusalem was the Russian Royal Doors of the second half of the 16th-17th centuries. The brilliance of gilding, multi-colored enamels, mica plates and precious stones reminded us of the beauty of the Divine City, described by the Apostle John the Theologian in the book.

Dmitry Trofimov

The Royal Gates are the gates located in the middle of the iconostasis and leading to the throne. They are called so because through them the Holy Gifts are brought to the liturgy - the Lord himself, the King of Glory, comes out to the believers () In the service, the opening of the Royal Doors symbolizes the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven. Only priests are allowed to pass through them. The iconostasis has three gates. The central, largest, are called Royal Doors. They are called Royal Doors because they symbolize the entrance to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is revealed to us through the Good News, so the Annunciation theme is depicted on the Royal Doors twice: the scene of the Annunciation with the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, as well as the four evangelists proclaiming the gospel to the world. Once upon a time, the liturgical cry “Doors, doors!” the ministers closed the outer doors of the temple, and they were called Royal, for all believers are the royal priesthood, but now the doors of the altar are closed. The Royal Doors are also closed during the Eucharistic Prayer, so that those who thank the Lord for His atoning sacrifice are, as it were, on opposite sides of the altar barrier. But in order to connect those who stand outside the altar and what happens in the altar, the icon of the Last Supper (or the Communion of the Apostles) is placed over the place where the Royal Doors are located. Sometimes on the wings of the Royal Doors are placed images of the creators of the liturgy of Sts. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom.

To the right of the Royal Doors is the icon of the Savior, where He is depicted with a Book and a blessing gesture. On the left is an icon of the Mother of God (as a rule, with the Infant Jesus in her arms). Christ and the Mother of God meet us at the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven and lead us to salvation throughout our lives. The Lord said of Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me" (); “I am the door to the sheep” (). The Mother of God is called Hodegetria, which means "guide" (usually an iconographic version of the Mother of God Hodegetria is placed here).

The icon next to the image of the Savior (to the right in relation to the upcoming ones) depicts a saint or a holiday, after which this temple is named. If you entered an unfamiliar temple, just look at the second icon to the right of the Royal Doors to determine which temple you are in - in the Nikolsky Church there will be an image of St. Nicholas of Myra, in Trinity - the icon of the Holy Trinity, in the Assumption - the Assumption Holy Mother of God, in the temple of Cosmas and Damian - the image of Sts. unmercenaries, etc.

In addition to the center of the iconostasis where the Royal Doors are located, the southern and northern doors are also located in the bottom row (also called deacon doors, because it is the deacon who uses them more often than others in the process of worship). As a rule, they are much smaller and lead to the side parts of the altar - the altar, where the Proskomidia is performed, and the deacon or sacristy, where the priest dresses before the liturgy and where the vestments and utensils are stored. Deacon doors are usually depicted either as archangels, symbolizing the angelic ministry of the clergy, or as the first martyrs, Archdeacons Stephen and Lawrence, who set a true example of serving the Lord.

From the inside, the Royal Doors are hung with a veil (Greek, katapetasma), which is opened or closed at certain moments of worship. The royal doors open only during the service and only at certain moments of it. During the Bright (Easter) week, they do not close for a whole week as a sign that Jesus Christ opened the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven for us.

The Royal Doors are opened during the Liturgy:

• For the Small Entrance with the Gospel, which marks the appearance of the Lord to preach the Gospel, and after reading the Gospel they close;
• For the Great Entrance, at which the Holy Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne, then they are closed, which means the descent of the Savior into hell;
• During the presentation of the Holy Gifts for the communion of the people, which depicts the appearance of the Lord to His disciples after the resurrection, the ascension to heaven and the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven.

alphabet ru

Gate for the king

“The first Christians gathered for prayer in private homes, and in the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion, the emperors gave Christians basilicas, the largest buildings in Roman cities used for court hearings and trade. In these buildings, the main gates were called royal, through which the emperor or bishop entered the temple, - Alexander Tkachenko explains. “The people entered the temple through the doors located along the perimeter of the basilica.” In the ancient Church, the chief celebrant and also the head of the community was the bishop. Without a bishop, the service would not begin - everyone was waiting for him in front of the temple. The entry into the temple of the bishop and the emperor, and after them of the whole people, was the most solemn moment at the beginning of the Liturgy.

The altar part of the temple did not take shape immediately. At first, it was separated from the main part by low partitions, then curtains appeared in some churches (katapetasma from the Greek katapštasma), which were closed at certain moments of the liturgy, primarily during the consecration of the Gifts. “In the first millennium, there is very little evidence of these veils,” says Alexander Tkachenko. - In the life of St. Basil the Great, it is told that the saint introduced the use of veils covering the Altar for reasons that were not theological at all: the deacon who served with him often looked back at the women standing in the church. In the second millennium, the use of veils becomes widespread. Often they were decorated with embroidery, images of saints, the Mother of God.

The name "Royal Doors" was transferred from the main entrance to the temple to the gates of the iconostasis also in the second millennium. “For the first time, the gates leading to the altar were given an independent meaning only in the 11th century,” says Alexander Tkachenko, “when one of the interpretations of the liturgy says that with the words “Doors! Doors!” it is not the gates of the temple that are closed, but the doors leading to the altar. The iconostasis, as we know it - with the Royal Doors, rows of icons - was fully formed only by the 16th - 15th centuries.

Historical and symbolic

When large church communities broke up into many parishes, the custom of waiting for the bishop disappeared. Priests began to serve in parish churches, who could be in the altar from the beginning of the service. “Therefore, gradually (after the 8th - 9th centuries) the entrance of the bishop to the temple, and then to the altar, acquired a new meaning: additional chants and prayers appeared that accompany this entrance (today it is called the Small or the entrance with the Gospel). In ancient times the gospel was kept in a guarded and secret place. This was connected with persecution, with the danger of losing the Gospel Code. Bringing the gospel to read was a solemn moment. Now the Gospel is always kept on the Throne, and the Small Entrance connects both actions: the entry of the bishop (priest) into the temple and the bringing of the Gospel, which is taken from the Throne, is taken out through the deacon's gate and carried back through the Royal. The meaning of the Small Entrance is interpreted in different ways: according to the interpretations of some holy fathers, the Small Entrance symbolizes the Incarnation and the coming of the Savior into the world, according to others, the beginning of His public ministry and going out to preach.

Once again, during the liturgy, the procession of clergy passes through the Royal Doors, when the Cherubic Hymn is sung and the Chalice with wine, which will become the Blood of Christ, and the diskos with the Lamb, which will become the Body of Christ, are taken out. This procession was called the Great Entrance. “The very first explanation of the Great Entrance dates back to the turn of the 4th-5th centuries,” Alexander Tkachenko explains. - The authors of this time say that the procession denotes the carrying of the dead Body of Christ taken from the Cross and His position in the tomb. After the Eucharistic prayers are read and the Gifts become the Body of Christ, they will signify the Resurrection of Christ, Christ will rise in the Holy Gifts. In the Byzantine tradition, the Great Entrance received a different interpretation. It is revealed in the Cherubic Hymn that accompanies the procession. She tells us that the Great Entrance is a meeting of Christ the King, who is accompanied by Angels-Bodyguards. And the Royal Doors can be called so not only because in ancient times the emperor entered through them, but because now Christ enters through them as the King of Glory, who goes to death on the cross for the sins of people out of love for man.

Canon and creativity

The architect Andrei Anisimov tells about the traditions of designing the Royal Doors and the task of the architect: “The Royal Doors are the gates of Paradise, the Kingdom of Heaven. From this we proceed when creating them. The royal gates should be placed strictly in the center, along the axis of the temple (behind them there should be a Throne, further - a mountainous place). The Royal Doors are usually the most decorated part of the iconostasis. Jewelry can be very different: carving, gilding; vines and paradise animals were carved on baroque iconostases. There are Royal Doors, on which all the icons are placed in temple frames, crowned with numerous cupolas, which symbolizes the Heavenly City of Jerusalem.

The royal gates, like a shrine, can pass from one temple to another. “Sometimes you look, and the Royal Doors are not from the general ensemble. Then it turns out that this is the gate of the XVI century, their Soviet time grandmothers hid before the closure or destruction of the temple, and now these gates are back in their place, and the iconostasis is new,” Andrey Anisimov continues.

As a rule, four evangelists and the Annunciation are depicted on the Royal Doors. But within these themes, variations are possible. “Only the Annunciation can be depicted full-length,” explains the architect. - If the gates are small, instead of the evangelists, their animal symbols can be placed: an eagle (the symbol of the Apostle John the Theologian), a calf (the Apostle Luke), a lion (Apostle Mark), an angel (Apostle Matthew). If in the temple, in addition to the main altar, there are two more chapels, then the Annunciation and the Evangelists can be depicted on the central Royal Doors, and the Annunciation on one gate, and on the other - Saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great - the authors of the rites of the Divine Liturgy.

Most often, an image of the Last Supper is placed above the gates, but there may be Christ Communion of the Apostles (“Eucharist”) or the Trinity. The iconography of the Royal Doors (Annunciation and Evangelists) shows us the path by which one can enter the Heavenly Gates - the path of salvation, which opens with the Good News of the birth of the Savior and is revealed in the Gospel.

When designing the Royal Doors, the architect has a field for creativity. Royal doors, like iconostases, can be made of wood, stone, marble, porcelain, or iron. “For the industrialist Demidov, iron was the cheapest material - he made iron iconostases. In Gzhel - porcelain iconostases. In Greece, where there is a lot of stone, the altar barrier is made of stone. In the Greek iconostasis, the Royal Doors are low, up to the chest, the opening between the gates and the arch is large. With the Royal Doors closed, but with the veil drawn back, you can see the Throne, the high place, what is happening in the altar, you can hear everything well.

Why are the Royal Doors not always open?

According to the charter, on Easter days - Bright Week - the Royal Doors are constantly open. This is a symbol of the fact that Christ, having endured death on the cross, opened the entrance to Paradise for us. The altar symbolizes Paradise, while the rest of the temple symbolizes the earth.

Now you can hear calls: let's serve, as in the ancient Church, with the Royal Doors open, what should we hide from the faithful? “This call has nothing to do with the scientific study of ancient worship,” Alexander Tkachenko comments. - In ancient times, at the door to the main part of the temple, there were special ministers called ostiarii (door-keepers). They made sure that only those who would take communion were at the liturgy, the rest (the catechumens and the penitents, those who did not have the right to take communion) were removed from the temple at the exclamation of the deacon “the catechumens, come out” (those who are catechumens, go out from the temple). And that is why in ancient times the problem of closing the Royal Doors and the altar did not exist. Subsequently, when the rank of the catechumens disappeared, and there were fewer communicants, the altar began to be closed from those who were in the temple, in order to avoid profaning the Sacrament.

The opening or closing of the Royal Doors shows the most important moments of worship. The words of the prayer that the priest says before entering through the Royal Doors into the altar at the end of the third antiphon also speak of reverence. It contains the words: "Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints." According to one interpretation, the words of this prayer refer to the entrance to the Holy of Holies, since the altar of the Christian temple symbolically corresponds to the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple, where no one except the high priest had the right to enter. Therefore, when the priest says: “Blessed is the entrance of your saints” - this means “blessed is the entrance to the Holy of Holies”, that is, the path to heaven, opened to us, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, by the Lord Jesus Christ (see:). But can we say that we are always ready for the journey to heaven? And if we answer honestly, it will turn out that the open altar and Paschal joy are beyond our strength all the time.

Irina Redko

royal doors

Abbot Theognost (Pushkov)

Foreword

Orthodox liturgy, being in its essence and name a common cause and common service, has developed over the centuries and has been supplemented by various rites and outward attributes. At the present stage, it is difficult to talk about the Orthodox liturgy outside the architectural space of the temple. And modern liturgical theology must have the courage to evaluate the existing order of celebrating divine services in our country. Often we just postfactum we try to justify the emerging order without thinking about its theological value.

A modern temple of the Orthodox Church is inconceivable without an altar barrier with its gates (lateral and central, "Royal"). But the altar barrier and its gates can function differently during worship. They can unite the people with the priesthood, or they can separate.

The liturgical life of the Church is an icon of her spiritual and moral state. Worship and prayer, like a supersensitive photographic film, captures in itself all the features, both positive and negative, of the spiritual image of a parish, a community, even entire dioceses and Local Churches. The Eucharist is the sacrament of all sacraments, but the sacrament requires a living attitude, not a formal and technical one. And when interest in the meaning and essence of the liturgy cools, random elements fall into its rites that do not reflect its meaning, but only close it from full perception by the people. The liturgy itself ceases to be the living heart of the life of believers. That is, in a mysterious sense, she remains such a heart, but this is not felt and is not realized by that mass of clergy and people who only “come” to the liturgy and “defend” it.

The “royal doors” of the altar have become a “stumbling block” for many, especially the fact that only in the Russian Church their opening for the entire liturgy is the “highest church award”. The author of these lines suggests looking at the liturgy through the prism of patristic theology and trying to comprehend the role of the altar barrier and its gates in it, as well as their use in other Orthodox Local Churches.

History reference

From the time of the apostles and during the long three centuries of persecution, the ancient Church celebrated the Eucharist not in specially arranged churches, but in the homes of believers, or even simply in the catacombs (in Rome these were underground cemeteries and communications). Nevertheless, archaeological research has shown that even there, in rather poor conditions, there was a special allocation of the "altar", that is, the place of spiritual sacrifice. As a rule, it was a table standing on a small elevation (hence the Latin name altar- "elevation"). In buildings with an apse (conch), as a rule, this elevation was located in the apse, which was hung with a curtain during non-liturgical hours. This was especially characteristic of catacomb temples, and later - stone temples of apse architecture. That is, the sanctuary stood out and emphasized by all possible means. But at the same time, during the meeting of the community for joint worship, the sanctuary was opened before the gaze of all those praying, who gathered around the Eucharistic altar meal like a family around the festive table.

When the Church emerged from the catacombs and the Christian religion was legalized in the Empire, large temples began to appear, and the type of “temple architecture” gradually formed. But before the appearance of the iconostasis with gates (central and side) it was still far away. In the first centuries of “free existence”, two types of temple architecture were outlined: apse (elevation in a niche at the end of the temple) and basilica (an oblong rectangular room, a spacious hall, at the end of which there was a throne). Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (4th century) mentions a curtain that hid the apse of the temple with the throne located there during non-liturgical hours. But it was problematic to hang an altar in churches of the basilic type (the width of the altar there corresponded to the width of the temple). Therefore (“Conversations on the Epistle to the Ephesians”) mentions the “barrier”, which, according to him, before the start of the service is not opened, but “removed”. Apparently, initially it was something like a "portable picket fence", a "movable lattice", which was removed for the duration of the service and exhibited only outside the service.

However, the influx of the masses of the people set before the clergy a new, purely practical (not at all theological) task: how to protect the altar from the random onslaught of a crowded mass of parishioners? This is especially true on big holidays. This is how the first version of the “solid” (not portable) barrier of the altar arises. It will not take long to look for samples of such an obstacle. It is enough to study the architecture of ancient temples located in large pilgrimage centers. Such centers, of course, are Bethlehem and Jerusalem. According to Tarkhanova 1's research on the architecture of the ancient Bethlehem basilica and the ancient Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the barrier consisted of pillars placed around the altar (the so-called "stasis" 2 resting on the ceiling, which means "columns" in translation), between which there were large "spans". In the central "span" was the entrance to the altar, and between the other pillars there were bronze lattices (or plates), less than one and a half meters high from the ground. Such barriers successfully coped with the task 3 .

Over time, there were attempts to draw a symbolic parallel between the temple and Moses' "tabernacle of the Covenant." It is important to bear in mind that all these parallels have always arisen post factum introduction to the use of one or another detail of the temple decor and never arose per fact, as a kind of speculative principle on which the builders of the temple should be guided. First, for practical reasons, a form of interior decoration convenient for the temple appears, and then (and even then not immediately) “symbolic explanations” of this form appear.

The architecture of the "Byzantine" temple goes back to the architecture of the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem, as well as to the prototype of the latter - the "tabernacle of the Testament." In this matter, Tarkhanova's study of the Old Testament prototypes of our iconostasis is truly invaluable for the Russian-speaking reader. Both late Byzantine exegetes-liturgists and modern scholars speak of this Old Testament root. However, Tarkhanova, having delved into the features of the prototype itself, comes to the conclusion: “Architecture (of the altar. - Ig. F.) the barriers of the early Christian time are oppositeness Old Testament, borrowing from the biblical descriptions only the factual and symbolic basis: instead ofhide Holy of Holies of the temple, barrier of the first temples, onagainst, opens the altar and the liturgy taking place in itfor all believers" 4 .

This is how the iconostasis is born. A great connoisseur of the Byzantine tradition, Father Robert Taft (like Tarkhanova) says the following about Byzantine altars: “The altar barrier was made open: everything that happened inside was visible. Therefore ... the altar (i.e. the throne) stood in front of the apse, and not in the apse itself. In the apse itself there was a throne (of a bishop) and a co-throne (of presbyters)” 5 . And this situation existed for quite a long time.

In the 8th century, St. Herman of Constantinople compiled his explanation of the Divine Liturgy, as well as the structure of the temple. Firstly, he mentions only the existence of a pillar barrier and “a cosmite adorned with a Cross” in his time 6 . "Kosmit" is a beam-beam above the pillars of the "iconostasis" (the "stasis" themselves, apparently, in this case did not rest against the ceiling, representing a kind of antique portico). Secondly, having described the sacred rites of the Divine Anaphora, he addresses the readers with the words: “Having thus become eyewitnesses Divine Sacraments, ... let us glorify ... the Sacrament of the Dispensation of our Salvation” 7 . That is, the saint explained the meaning of the fact that at each liturgy seen readers of his interpretation. But they could not see all this if there was a deaf iconostasis and the closed Royal Doors. He goes on to explain why the priest bows in prayer. This is also an interpretation of that action, which for the contemporaries of the saint was visible, but incomprehensible, and therefore needed interpretation. “At least until the 11th century in Constantinople, the altar was not shielded from human eyes, and the throne was not hidden behind a curtain, which is what the frescoes and miniatures of that time show. The first mention of the closing of the gates of the altar barrier after the Great Entrance and the pulling of the veil is contained in the commentary on the liturgy of the middle of the 11th century by Nicholas of Andides Proteorius. The author calls this custom monastic” 8 .

A similar interpretation is given by the 12th-century author Theodore, Bishop of Andides: usually done in monaswarms, as well as the covering of the Divine Gifts with the so-called air, marks think, that night, on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, leading (Jesus) to Caiaphas, presenting Him to Anna and pronouncing perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then ”9. It can be seen from the quotation that the drawing of the veil and the closing of the gates is a private monastic custom, and not a statutory provision. Moreover, this text itself is a quotation from an earlier work - a commentary on the liturgy of St. Herman of Constantinople, and expresses only the private opinion (as indicated by the word "I think") of the author 10 . From the quotation itself it is not clear where the gates and curtain were located: whether on the way from the porch to the temple, or on the way from the temple to the altar. And only Theodore of Andides himself adds: “For at the time when the gates are closed, and the veil is lowered, subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, impiously and impiously walk there and here, like servants, they stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar. Below we will touch on this text again when we analyze the theological side of the issue.

But the iconostasis itself with two side and central Royal Doors already existed in the church of Sophia of Constantinople, only now it was not at the entrance to the altar, but at the entrance to the temple from the vestibule (narthex). Here, for example, is how Archbishop Simeon of Thessalonica describes the entry of a priest into the temple at the beginning of Matins (after singing the Midnight Office, which, according to the Book of Hours, should still be performed in the vestibule): “Midnight singing is over. The doors of the temple open (!) like heaven, and we enter it... the abbot will pass through the Royal Doors, and the others - on either side of him... The priest at the throne utters an exclamation» 12 . We see that, firstly, we are talking about entering the temple from the vestibule, and secondly, upon entering the temple, the priest suddenly finds himself at the throne, but it is not said that he passes through some other gates. Consequently, blessed Simeon did not know about any gates separating the temple from the altar 13 . At least he does not say that in order to get into the altar, one must also open some gate or enter some door. Similarly, in chapter 200, the same author, in the same book of conversations about the sacraments of the church, explaining the rite of the appointment of a patriarch, says that the bishops enter the altar "from the side, and not from the middle." And in the book "On the Temple" the same blessed Simeon of Thessalonica mentions only a curtain around the throne and some "barriers" that separated the altar from the temple 14 .

In the same place, in the "Book of the Temple", Simeon writes that after the placing of the Gifts on the throne at the liturgy, "the Royal Doors are closed, for not everyone should be able to see the Sacraments performed in the altar" 15. At first it may seem that Simeon contradicts himself. But things are different. The royal doors were between the temple and the porch (narthex). In the narthex there were catechumens (who did not enter the temple together with the faithful). And since the altar did not have blind gates, everything that was happening in the altar could be seen from the naretx. And saying that “the Sacraments should not be visible to everyone,” he means those standing in the nartext (i.e. catechumens, as well as excommunicated, penitent and possessed by unclean spirits). The closing of the Royal Doors of the temple made it impossible for those standing in the nartext to see what was happening in the altar. But this did not in the least prevent those standing in the temple from contemplating the service at the altar.

But even if we agree that there are contradictions in the works of Simeon of Thessalonica, it is important to consider that Simeon himself was strongly influenced by the pseudo-Areopagite corpus with its Monophysite opposition of the people and the priesthood. On the other hand, apparently, this pseudo-Areopagite theory has not yet been universally assimilated by Orthodox churches, and therefore Simeon could speak more theoretically.

He cites the words of another contemporary scholar who visited Orthodox shrines East: “Vasily Grigorievich Barsky, in his journey to the holy places, testifies that he saw in Jerusalem, in Gethsemane, at the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, in Sinai - at the very place of the appearance of the Burning Bush, such temples, inwhich have neither royal, nor northern, nor southern doors. And inJerusalem by no barrier The altar from the temple is not fromdivided. For the priesthood there is only the throne. See Barsky's Journey on pages 107 and 270 for details on this. 16 It is important to bear in mind that, according to Kondakov, it was “in the holy places of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem… that the original forms of the altar, its barrier, and the altar were formed” 17 . The influence of the architecture of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the ancient temple of Bethlehem on the design of the altars of Byzantine churches is also noted by Tarkhanova 18 . Therefore, the testimonies of people who visited ancient temples in the past centuries, until they were touched by the hand of "restorers" 19, are especially significant for us.

The question arises: how did Russian Christians deserve such a punishment - excommunication from contemplation of the sacrament of the altar? And if Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulcher are the “Mother of the Churches,” as we sing at the Sunday service 20, then it should be a guide for all of us. Otherwise, by making an attempt to be holier than the Temple of Jerusalem itself, we may turn out to be boring Pharisees, and by no means bearers of holiness.

Theology of the liturgical space

When we speak of a liturgical space, the theology of this space cannot be "autonomous" from the theology of the Eucharistic liturgy itself. What actually takes place at the Eucharist? The most basic is touching the Eternity of God. According to the wise expression of Archpriest A. Schmemann, the boundaries of time and space are overcome, and we enter into God's eternity. During the service of the liturgy, in addition to the consecration of the Gifts, there is also a spiritual movement forward, towards eternity, of the people participating in the sacred service. We can outline three main aspects of the liturgical action that directly relate to our topic: entry into glory, contemplation of glory, and the unity of the space of the temple and the altar.

Entry into glory

In the Divine services of the Orthodox Church, the idea is often emphasized that this service itself became possible only due to the fact that the Divine and the human in Christ were united, heaven and earth were united, and the "mediastinum of the barrier" was destroyed. Being present at the liturgy, standing before the Face of God, we are present in heaven, before God, in His Mysterious and Glorious Kingdom.

According to St. Maximus the Confessor, eternal realities, "future" blessings, "primordial sacraments" are communicated in the Church by the faithful "through sensible symbols". And everything in worship has its own meaning - symbolic in the highest sense of the word (ie organic, not allegorical symbolism) 21 . To understand the meaning of "entrance into the temple" as a sacrament, it is necessary to turn to the "little entrance" of the liturgy 22 .

In ancient Byzantine and Roman practice, the people gathered and waited for the priest in the temple, and when the priest entered the temple, the people greeted the incoming priest by singing psalms or, more precisely, verses from the psalms, which were called "entrance verses" (lat. introit, Greek είσοδικόν). That is why the prayer with which the divine service began was called the “prayer of the assembly of the people” or “the prayer of the entry of the people into the temple.” This prayer now stands at the beginning of the divine service in the order of the Liturgy of the Apostle James, Bishop of Jerusalem 23. The same prayer stood at the beginning of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the first of the Greek codes that have come down to us, i.e. in the Barberini code (VIII century). This prayer was read in the middle of the temple 24 . This prayer, in its meaning, refers specifically to the “gathering of the faithful at the liturgy.” It is noteworthy that in the Barberini code there is, firstly, that “small entrance” prayer, which is known from our current liturgical books, and secondly, there is no mention at all that after the priest entered the temple there was another entrance to the altar as a special procession. One has to agree with Golubtsov's opinion that in the ancient Byzantine rites, the entire first part of the service before the catechumens left was in the church, and the entrance to the altar was already along with the "brought" gifts for the Eucharist 25 .

Sophia of Constantinople, built by Emperor Justinian the Great, had a charter that was completely different from all of the above. The difference between the actual Byzantine rite of Hagia Sophia (and, perhaps, almost the only temple) was that in Rome (and in other places) the people gathered in the temple before the arrival of the priesthood, and waited for the priests in the temple. In the "Great Church" (Hagia Sophia) of Constantinople, everything was different. The people gathered at the entrance to the temple in a special atrium (covered western gallery), which was specially attached outside along the entire perimeter of Hagia Sophia. It was precisely for worship in this church and under these conditions that the prayer of the “Little Entrance” was composed, which is now thoughtlessly reprinted by all our existing missal books. Here is this prayer: “Lord Lord our God! You established in heaven the ranks and hosts of angels and archangels for liturgical celebrations to Your glory. Make, together with our entrance, the entrance of Your holy angels, celebrating with us the liturgy, and together with us glorifying Your goodness, for all glory, honor and worship befits You - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and at all times and forever and ever ". It was the entrance of all the faithful who had gathered for the liturgy, and not just the priests. Therefore, the words of the prayer for the angels "celebrating the Liturgy with us" do not refer to the clergy going to the altar, but to the entire assembly of the Church. By the way, in its meaning, this prayer does not contradict at all, but on the contrary, emphasizes the thoughts set forth in the above ancient prayer “gatherings of the people in the temple”. There the people are called the “gathering Church,” but here this very thought is expressed in the request for the participation of “all of us” (all those standing in the atrium at the entrance to the church) in “common liturgical celebration.” That is why the "modern" practice of reading this prayer on the steps of the ambo at the "improvised" entrance to the altar (after exiting from there) greatly distorts not only the very meaning of the entrance, but also the understanding of the words of the prayer. After all, only clerics enter the altar, and therefore the meaning of the prayer for entering the altar can only apply to them, and, consequently, the people drop out of the number of “soliturges” along with the angels of this service. And it is to all the people that the "blessing of the entrance of the saints" applies. Saints are here called all Christians who begin the service of the Eucharist 26 .

The comments of Simeon of Thessalonica about the “entrances” at the service are very significant for us. Matins (like the Liturgy) began in the narthex (porch), where both the catechumens and the excommunicated stood together with the faithful. But then the faithful entered the temple. And this is how the sequence of worship in this place is commented on by the descriptor: “Now, at the beginning of prayer, we stand outside the temple, as if outside paradise, or outside heaven itself, depicting only earthly life. Sometimes those who repent, or those who turn after renunciation, sometimes stand with us, and sometimes they are announced by the word of faith. When the gates are opened - at the end of the hymns sung outside the temple - we enter the Divine temple, as if into paradise or heaven, and those (excommunicated and penitent with catechumens) remain outside. This action (entering the temple) means that the heavens have already been opened to us, and we have already gained accessin the holy of holies(sic) we rise to the light, and approaching, atwe go to the throne of the Lord(!). For we go to the east, to the altar, and ascend, like clouds, divine words and hymns, to the inner temple, as if in the air to meet the Lord, who, having ascended into heaven, erected andus up, and prepared the way for us- Himself, so that we allwhere to abide with our Lord, who ministers for us.Therefore the gates are opened, and the veils are drawn back, so thatby this to show that the villages of the celestials are opening up and enteringcome into unity with the inhabitants of the earth" 21 .

And St. Maximus the Confessor speaks of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist as an entry into the future life, as the “fulfillment” of the yet “future” appearance of Christ at His Second Coming. Commenting on the meaning of the fact that after the apostolic readings at the liturgy, the bishop descends from the pulpit and after that the catechumens are removed, he writes: “The descent of the bishop from the pulpit and the removal of the catechumens means in general, the Second Coming of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, the separation of sinners from the saints, and a righteous recompense for everyone” 28 . If we take into account that for Saint Maximus the words “depicts” and “means” have the meaning not of an allegory, but of an actual phenomenon, the presence of the depicted, then his text acquires a fundamental meaning for liturgical theology. In the symbolic system of Saint Maximus, the catechumens were removed and the doors of the temple were closed behind them, which showed that they were still outside the Kingdom of God. Therefore, close the doors of the altar at this moment- znacheat (if you follow the logic of the interpretation of St. Maxim) simvoluntarily show that for those who stand outside the altar of the faithful, twori rai are closed! Saint Maximus never says that the doors of the altar are closed to the faithful.

So, the cited texts contain important dogmatic information: entering the temple mystically, mysteriously depicts the entry into God's Eternity Itself, into the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ ascended and us with Himself and in Himself exalted. And the removal of the catechumens from the temple is actual in the symbol - we are given participation in the παρουσία (Coming) of Christ: we are already in His saving Kingdom, and they (the catechumens and excommunicated) are still outside the presence of Christ. The Archbishop of Thessalonica emphasizes that we all ascend to the altar, we approach the throne of God - all together, the whole Church. And this entry is a sacrament, for it depicts and celebrates our prayerful ascension to the One Who is on the throne of Glory. “The heavenly cities have been opened, and we have already gained access to the holy of holies!” And St. Maximus speaks of entering the realm of the already realized (mysteriously) Second Coming of Christ and receiving from Him the blessed reward of glory.

Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica gave us an excellent theological presentation of the concept of serving the Church in common liturgical space not divided into parts. He emphasized the universal dignity of the faithful who approach the Heavenly Altar through the medium of the earthly altar. What can be higher than the sky? And now Heaven is opened to all of us, and we are all led into it. And what? Gained access to the holy of holies in heaven, and the reflection of this heavenly sanctuary - the altar - closed before the eyes of the majority of believers? The earthly altar is a symbol and icon of the Heavenly Altar, and if the faithful are brought into the fullness of communion with God and placed before the Heavenly Altar, then no one can close the earthly altar from the gaze of those who pray! On earth is the image of what is in heaven. Who would decide to forbid a person to hold a photograph of the king in his hands, but at the same time allow this same person to have direct access to the king, introduce him to the royal chambers, place him at the royal table and invite him to the royal family's companions?

From this it is clear that the canonical prohibition of those who are not initiated into the clergy to enter the altar refers to discipline measures designed to ensure order in the celebration of worship in the altar. There is no dogmatic, theological obstacle to entering the altar of all full members of the Church. But if small barriers are not placed in the temple for those who pray, then during a large gathering of people there may be vanity, a crush that will prevent the priesthood from serving on the altar of the Lord. The low bars did the job calmly: They did not prevent the faithful from seeing everything that happened in the altar, but at the same time they kept the shrines of the altar from unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the modern practice of serving the Eucharist in a tightly closed altar does not fit into any norms - not only theological, but even disciplinary ones. The closed Royal Doors are not justified even from the point of view of practical benefits, i.e. for reasons of convenience of the serving priest.

contemplation of glory

But Orthodox liturgical theology pays attention not only to the place of service, but also to the condition of the persons participating in the service. And it can be described in two ways: From the side of God there is a revelation of the Glory of God towards us. In this case, our participation in the service is contemplation the glory of God. In general, in Orthodox spiritual experience, in asceticism and mysticism, in prayer, contemplation as a touch on the Uncreated Light of God is of great importance. This is how this universal contemplation of the faithful is expressed in the liturgy of the Apostle James: Before the beginning of the Eucharistic Canon, when the gifts covered with “veils” are placed on the throne, the priest “removes the veils from the gifts”, while publicly explains the meaning of this sacred rite: “Having opened the mysterious veils that significantly clothe this sacred sacrifice, clearly show us and illumine our mental eyes with an incomprehensible light. Let us note that in the authentic liturgy of the liturgy of the Apostle James, the altar stands outside the “vima” (otherwise called the “apse”). In the apse are the seats of the bishop and presbyters, but not the throne itself. The throne stands on a dais, and everything that happens on the throne and around it is perfectly visible to the worshipers 31 . And people participate in the contemplation of the glory of Divine service. This is just directly opposite to everything that we have at the moment: we “hide” the Gifts, and in the authentic apostolic and patristic tradition, on the contrary, the Gifts, initially hidden under the “veils” in the sentence, are opened after enthronement, thereby portrayingEpiphany, the Revelation of God to the whole Church. How, after all, do the words of the prayer of the liturgy of the Apostle James echo with the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul: hope, which is like an anchor for the soul, safe and strong, and enters into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:17-20). Let's see what a complex, ornate path of thought to lead to the conclusion: everything had as its goal to introduce everyone us(Paul wrote to all Christians baptized and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and not just to bishops and presbyters) "into the inner" village of God's glory, "beyond the veil." But where for the veil? Is it not in the Jerusalem temple? No, but where “Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” That is, the Holy of Holies leads us into His Heavenly. Again, what is the liturgy? This is the ministry "behind the veil", within the Eternity of God, in the service of angels and all the saints. All the sacred vessels and the throne in the Church on earth are so holy and majestic because they are a reflection and, to some extent, the “embodiment” of what is now in heaven - the One service of the entire Church gathered around the throne and before the throne of the Lamb. There all the faithful are gathered together!

St. Maximus the Confessor also calls for contemplation in his “Mystagogue” (by the way, we note that the entrance of the Holy Gifts into the altar is performed, according to St. Maximus, after closing the gates of the Church, i.e. again, we are talking about closing the gates of the temple, and not the altar, otherwise, how could one “enter” the closed altar through the “shuttered doors”?): closing the gates and entering the saints yesditch, to the contemplation of intelligible logoi and things" 32 . Here it is important to pay special attention to the fact that the contemplation of the logoi, according to St. Maximus, is always accomplished in material things and through things. “The intelligible world (i.e. the logoi) is in the sensible, just as the soul is in the body” 33 . And things (material or, in the language of Saint Maximus, “sensual”) are the flesh of the intelligible world. So, when St. Maximus says that God invites His faithful to contemplation of intelligible logoi and things, then this emphasizes the importance of contemplation of the performed sacred action! Let us repeat: the logos can be seen only in its flesh and through the flesh - through things, and therefore the things themselves are contemplated (it is not for nothing that St. Maximus emphasizes the importance of contemplating not only logoi, but also things). And only in things, through a subtle, mysterious contemplation, does a person see the logos of a thing. It is impossible to be a participant in the liturgy and not be a contemplator of the logoi of this service.

The unity of the temple and the altar

Saint Maximus the Confessor, in his wonderful Mystagogy, explains the structure of an Orthodox church. He clearly distinguishes the altar, in which physically only priests and a common temple (ναός) can be present. But at the same time, he makes the greatest remark about the special “transfiguration” of the temple and the change in its structure during the liturgy: “The temple is an altar in the possibility, since it is consecrated when the sacred action rises to its highest point. But the altar, on the contrary, is always a temple. These words are commented on by the greatest expert Orthodox tradition, modern patrologist A. Sidorov: “The temple is an altar only in potency, actualizing as such (i.e. becoming an altar)only at the highest moment of service. But the altar is always actually part of the temple” 35 . So, at the time of the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist the whole temple is relevant(!) becomes an altar. The space of the altar expands and goes beyond its usual limits. The altar fills the whole temple with itself, turns the whole temple into an altar. This is a very important remark of St. Maxim: all the faithful stand in the altar at the Liturgy. But why then these closed gates, if all people really, together with us priests, stand in the altar, only behind us? The inadmissibility of the “closed Royal Doors” is self-evident, for it is precisely this that emphasizes the separation of the temple from the altar, and this separation is abolished in the unity of the celebration of the liturgy by the whole Church, in a single altar. That is why the priest, standing at the throne, even if he celebrates the liturgy alone, in prayer says that God "vouchsafed us stand before his saint altar (altar), and also "granted us serve the holy altar." If there is only one priest in the altar, then it would be logical to make a remark: “For the sole service of a priest, read “I” instead of “we”. But nothing of the kind, thank God, is found in our service books.

I would like to complete this theological part with the words of the Apostle of Christ Paul: “So, brethren, having the audacity to entertake to the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, the new and living way, which He has revealed to us again through the veil that is, our own flesh, and [having] a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart, with full faith, having cleansed our hearts from an evil conscience by sprinkling, and having washed our bodies with pure water, let us hold fast to the confession of hope unswervingly, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23).

Contemplation of the Lamb

There is one more detail in the Orthodox liturgy (and not only, but even in the Catholic Mass). This is the contemplation by believers of the Holy Lamb, which the priest lifts up before the eyes of the people during the exclamation "Holy to the holies." Patristic liturgical exegesis devotes a special place to this ancient act. There is the following comment in the Areopagitic Corpus: “The clergyman, having sung the sacred services of God, performs the Divine Mysteries. And sanctify them voznosit before your eyes and them shows them... And thus, having shown the Gifts of Divine Action, he proceeds to partake of them himself, and calls others.

The pseudo-Areopagite is echoed by Saint Nicholas Cabasilas: “Then the priest intends to proceed himself and invite others to the Meal ... He took and showing The Life-Giving Bread calls for communion... And it proclaims “The Holy One to the Saints”, as if saying: “Here is the Bread of Life, which you seethose. Go, therefore, take communion”” 37 . Evidence of Kava power is of particular value. He himself belongs to an era when the trend towards the construction of high iconostasis and the presence of the closed Royal Doors of the altar at the liturgy was already in full bloom. It can be said that Nicholas Cabasilas swam against the current, was a kind of prophet of the Eucharistic rebirth in his contemporary environment. It can be called "Byzantine John of Kronstadt".

An undoubted connoisseur of Orthodox liturgy and its history, Professor Ivan Dmitrievsky describes this moment in the following way: “The action to exalt the Body of Christ when proclaiming “Holy to the Holy” is mentioned in the liturgy of the Apostle James and in the liturgy of the Apostle Peter. About this elevation write St. Dionysius (pseudo) Areopagite and St. Maxim the Confessor. Therefore, This establishment dates back to the timeapostolic. In the primordial Church, when there were no altars and thrones (similar to the present ones), the rites were performed on a wooden table set in the church, where all those present could see all the actions of the Eucharist. And when the time for communion came, the presbyter or bishop ... lifted up the Holy Gifts in view of everyone and loudly proclaimed: Holy - to the saints ”38. "The bishop or presbyter, raising the Holy Gifts up and showing them to the people, exclaims: “The holy one is holy” 39 .

So, we see that the rite of the offering of the Divine Bread during the pronouncement of "Holy to the Holy" has a completely unambiguous and the only one meaning: to present to the participants in contemplation Divine Food - Source of Incorruptibility. If the rite does not achieve its inherent purpose, it loses its meaning, it becomes profanation. I think no one will deny that behind the drawn veil (and even without it, with the gates of the iconostasis closed) it is impossible to “see” this Divine exaltation. Consequently, we will have to admit that a secret act loses its meaning and is performed with a different meaning than it definitely prescribed consent fromtsov in the Orthodox tradition!

Allegorism and Liturgy

The allegorical interpretation of the actions and decor of the liturgy was an attempt to comprehend the structural changes that had arisen in its order of rites. It is useless to talk about the reasons for the changes themselves, since we can only talk in the subjunctive mood (documents that testify to the time and reasons for such a change have not come down to us). Only one thing can be said with certainty: the allegorical explanation of the custom of closing the gates of the altar and drawing the veil appears much later than the custom itself. Almost the first written monument that gives an allegorical interpretation of this action is an explanation of the liturgy of Bishop Theodore of Andides (XII century): usually businesseats in monasteries, as well as the covering of divine gifts with the so-called air, I think, marks the night on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, the bringing (Jesus) to Caiaphas, the presentation of His Anna and the pronunciation of perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then. For at the time when the gates are closed and the veil lowered, the subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, unseemly and impiously walk hither and thither, like servants, stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar” 40 . The first thing that catches your eye is just the mystical separation of the temple and the altar during the liturgy. That is the exact opposite of what was said. Reverend Maxim Confessor! The second is a comparison of the “yard of the altar” (temple) with the court of the high priest, and the subdeacons standing in the temple with a maid, from fear of whom Peter denied Christ. You can't say anything, a worthy comparison for clerics!

Later, allegorical "interpretations" began to grow like mushrooms after rain, crowding out the interpretations of the Church Fathers of the early era, who explained the connection of the temple and the altar with worship through the prism of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist. To “justify” manipulations with the Royal Doors, they usually refer to the symbolic meaning of the liturgy, during which the whole life of Christ on earth is depicted (for example, closing the gates after the Cherubic Hymn “depicts” the Savior’s position in the tomb and the sealing of the tomb). But the liturgy is precisely a symbol, not a drama. There are no "actors and scenery" in the symbol. There are priests in the symbol, and the latter include not only the priesthood, but also the entire church people consecrated in the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. And all who are in the church participate in this sacred service, all the faithful participate in the fullness of the symbolism of the liturgy. In this sense of the word, “not the altar is the “sepulcher of Christ”, but the whole Church as a single liturgical space, and even all the faithful,” as St. Nicholas Cabasilas writes, are the Tomb into which the Body and Blood of Christ descends, and from which Christ resurrects, resurrecting man with Himself.

Moreover, at the hierarchal liturgy (or at the liturgy of "awarded" archimandrites and archpriests) there are no many manipulations with the gates and veils: the gates are opened at the beginning of the service and closed during the communion of the priesthood 41 . The question arises (in the context of the symbolic interpretation of the "opening-closing" of the holy gates): except during the service of "special" archimandrites and during the liturgical service of the bishopthere is no need to depict from the altar the coffin in which he believesis the Body of Christ? And what about the open-air liturgy service (when the Patriarch of Moscow himself servestour in Diveevo on the square of the monastery)? There isn't at allneither an iconostasis, nor, moreover, a closed altar spacestva. Is this liturgy "less fertile"? Or is it “inferior in terms of the symbolism of the sacrament”, because no gates and no catapetasma? Hardly anyone will allow themselves to say this, but these are the logical conclusions from the demands that are made today by the "zealots" of the existing order.

The same applies to another “theological” argument about the need to keep the gates of the altar closed: “This Sacrament is performed in the altar by the clergy ... with the Royal Doors closed (if a priest, not a bishop, serves), because initially this Sacrament was performed by Christ in the presence of one only disciples… and also in order to keep this sacrament from unworthy eyes, for the human heart and eye are deceitful and unworthy to see this Sacrament,” Bishop Benjamin writes with reference to St. John of Kronstadt 42 . Firstly, all those baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Spirit are the disciples of Christ, called to His meal. (after all, the one who takes communion is a participant in the Sacrament). All who are present at the liturgy are its participants. And Christ did not divide the participants in the Last Supper into two classes: those who see what He is doing, and those who do not see, but to whom the Body of Christ is only “carried out” from the upper room. Secondly, the question again arises: if a bishop serves, then the eye of those standing in the temple is not unclean and the heart is not deceitful? 43 What is the point of dividing the single sacred mystical space of the Body of Christ (Church) during the liturgy - at a time when all obstacles must be overcome? Liturgy - the feast of the Kingdom of God is already here on earth. And the open gates of Eternity should become the symbol of this feast, which unites heaven and earth, throughout the whole service, and the service of Eternity is performed by the whole Church in a single and indivisible space.

About how the altar partition negatively affects the clergy themselves, such persons as Father A. Schme-man and Father N. Afanasiev wrote. A brief summary of their thought is as follows: separated from the gaze of those praying, the clergy in the altar often conduct conversations during the service, sit, read letters, communicate with the brothers. The absence of an iconostasis or - at least - low iconostasis and wide Royal Doors 44 , holed whole service will serve to increase the prayerful piety of the clergy themselves.

Statutory matters

When we propose any kind of liturgical transformations, we cannot pass by the typikon and confine ourselves to one theology. Let us consider, firstly, headings 45, officially adopted in the Russian Orthodox Church, the Service Book, and secondly, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon, also officially adopted.

Missal

Our Slavonic Priestly Missal says nothing about the veil at the liturgy: neither about its pulling after the Cherubic Hymn and opening before the singing of the Creed, nor about its pulling before the exclamation "Holy to the Holies." The Missal does not even say that after the Great Entrance the gates of the altar are closed. It is said that they open to the small entrance at the third antiphon and close after reading the Gospel 46.

The Missal only mentions that before the communion of the people the gates are opened, which implies their closing before this (but does not say at what time of the liturgy they should be closed). However, the pre-Nikonian Missal gives an indication that before the beginning of the liturgy, at the end of the proskomedia, “the priest, having opened the holy gates, takes an hour off” 47 . The same indication of the end of the hours after the proskomidia is present in the manuscript of the liturgy of Basil the Great, published by Professor Archpriest M. Orlov: “For this reason, the holy priest incense. And the reception of the censer, the deacon opens the Royal doors, and censes the holy altar around the cruciform, saying in himself the 50th psalm. And the saint and the whole altar incense. And becoming at the royal doors censes the abbot ... Therefore, the priest, standing in the royal doors, creates a vacation (proskomedia.- Ig. F.).... The deacon bowed to the priest, comes out through holy doors and, standing in his usual place, bowing three times, he says: Bless, lord.

In addition, in the Missal there is an interesting prescription for the deacon before the exclamation "Holy to the Holy": "The deacon, standing before St. gates (!), Seeing that the priest takes the Holy Bread, he says: "Let's listen." I wonder with what eyes he can see this if the gates are closed (sometimes they are deaf) and the kata-petasma is closed? Is it not "with the eyes of faith"?

Concerning the liturgical practice existing in the Russian Orthodox Church, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, in response to a letter from his bishop, who ordered to observe the instructions of the charter on the Royal Doors and the Veil, wrote: "I I think that it is a big and even tragic mistake to absolutize what the Church herself did not absolutize, arguing that only this or that practice is correct, and any other is incorrect. For example, in no place in the text of the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as it is printed in Russian “standard” books (I have before me the excellent Moscow Synodal edition of 1904), is the veil even mentioned. If the closing of the royal doors during the divine service were really an organic and essential part of the Eucharistic service, they would not remain open when a bishop is serving or, as is customary in Russian practice, a priest of a certain rank ... Personally, I am convinced that modern Greek practice, in which the doors are not at allclosed during the entire liturgy, much moreon the true spirit of the Eucharist and the Orthodox understanding of the Church than the practice of the Russian Church, which seems toconstantly highlights the division among God's peopleand clergy" 49 .

23rd chapter of the Slavonic Typikon of the Russian Church

“But what about the Typicon?” - zealots of "fatherly traditions" will sigh. Indeed, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon gives instructions regarding the timing of the use of the veil. But why did the Typicon speak about the actions of the clerics in the altar? After all, the Typikon has never touched the service in the altar. The Typicon is a kliros book, in which "we" always refers to the choir, while the priesthood is always referred to in the third person. Therefore, it is strange that the Typicon gives instructions regarding the veil of the gates, when this is not the work of the readers, but the work of the clergy. There can be only one conclusion here: there is no indication of catapetasma in the Missal, while overzealous scribes-scribes decided to reflect the correct, in their opinion, order of hanging the altar in the Typikon, as if making up for the "omission" of the Missal.

But it is striking that the zealots of the "Typicoine piety" simply do not want to pay attention to the fact that most of the modern worship goes against the Typicon that we have. And it is not known what, from the point of view of the compilers of the Typika, was a great evil: to serve Matins in the evening, and Vespers - barely “rising from the bed” (as we have during Great Lent), or to violate their instructions regarding the Royal Doors and the Catapetasma? fifty

From the point of view of modern historical and liturgical science, it is important to answer the question: how and when to our Typiconhit chapter 23 1 }

An undoubted connoisseur of the liturgical tradition of the Church, the great luminary of Russian liturgical science, Professor of the Kiev Theological Academy Mikhail Skaballanovich, also dealt with this issue. Here is the information he provides about the development of the Slavic Typikon: Slavic copies from the Jerusalem Typikon contained many contributions by scribes. “Some manuscripts even introduce whole new articles, some of them are accepted in our current Typicon. For example, in the Typicon of the beginning of the 16th century (manuscript of the Moscow Synod, bibl. No. 336/338), a chapter is introduced “On the zap of the holy altar when it is opened” 51 .

The specified time (the beginning of the 16th century) is the era of the formation in Russia of that very self-consciousness, which subsequently led to a crisis with the Old Believers. This culture can be called "Monophysite" in its attitude to worship and ritual, to the letter of the Rule. It was at this time that the charter in Russia (as in its time among the Monophysites) in the name of the "sacredness of worship" was overgrown with secondary elements, behind which the content and meaning of the sacraments of the holy altar were no longer visible.

But no matter how we relate to the Typicon, we must remember that the very word "Typicon" means "Collection of samples", sketches of worship. This is not a canon with its strict requirements, but only a model, touches that are not eternal and unshakable.

in different places and different time observed different traditions regarding the use of the veil and the Royal Doors in the liturgy. What is unconditional is the primordial and venerable genuine Christian antiquity, the antiquity that does not decay, but is renewed, the tradition of serving the liturgy in co-service of the whole people, in its full participation in this service - hearing, prayer, contemplation, communion, thanksgiving.

What prevents us, according to the holy fathers and according to the tradition of the "Mother Church" - the holy Sepulcher of our Lord, from accepting a tradition in which all the faithful could contemplate the Eucharistic rite?

Conclusion

The church is a living organism, not a soulless building. Any living organism is subject to suffering, metamorphoses. And the task of any living organism is to defeat diseases, “shake off the dust” and develop further. I would like to hope that the research carried out by the theological school will not “fall into a folder”, will not be covered with “secular dust”, but will become an incentive for real activity to transform our liturgical life. Now this topic is especially relevant, because without a full-fledged introduction of a believer into Orthodox worship, we risk losing this believer, if not for the Church as a whole, then for worship. Our people use all kinds of liturgical surrogates, apocryphal prayers due to the inaccessibility of worship for them. And one catechesis is not enough here. Coming to the temple, a person (if he wants to become a member of the community, and not just come in to “light a candle”) looks for his place in worship. But it turns out to be closed to him.

At the end, the author offers readers a list of literature used by him in the preparation of this article and at the same time recommended to those who wish to more thoroughly study the issues raised in this brief study.

Notes

1 See Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes of the altar barrier of Byzantine churches // Alpha and Omega, no. 2 (52); 3 (53), 2008.

2 Later, these pillars began to be decorated on top with icons and carved decorations. Hence the name: "Iconostasis".

3 In our temples, this is also true: if you do not put barriers in cathedrals, then, for example, on Easter, the people can simply “sweep away” the priesthood along with the throne.

4 Tarkhanova S.

5 Taft R. Byzantine Church Rite. SPb., 2000. S. 79.

6 Germanus of Constantinople, set. The Tale of the Church and the Consideration of the Sacraments. M., 1995. Ch. 8. P. 47.

7 Ibid. Ch. 41. P. 81.

8 Nicholas Kim, Rev. Note No. 8 to the Letters of St. Nikita Stifata // Rev. Nikita Stefat. About Ray. SPb., 2005.

9 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. A brief discourse on the mysteries and images of the Divine Liturgy, compiled at the request of the God-loving Basil, Bishop of Phytia. Pech. by ed.: KrasnoseltsevN. F. Explanation of the liturgy compiled by Theodore, Bishop of Andides // Orthodox interlocutor. Kazan, 1884. Book. I. Ch. 21.

10 See: PG 98: 425-428.

11 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. Brief discussion… Chap. 21.

12 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Talk about the holy rites and the sacraments of the church. Ch. 274.

13 Although in the 147th chapter of this work some special “gates of the altar” are mentioned, but here openings in stasis with a small “gate” can be called gates, as can now be found in Greek types of iconostasis.

14 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Temple Book IIDmitrievsky 77. Historical, dogmatic and sacramental interpretation of the Divine Liturgy. M., 1884. S. 385. But the “sacred doors of the altar” are also mentioned there. (Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The Book of the Temple... S. 402), which were opened at the small entrance during the bishop's service. However, we could assume - because. there is no description of the iconostasis from the time of Simeon of Thessalonica, which means all the same partitions knee-deep to a man of average height.

15 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The book about the Temple ... S. 410.

16 Ibid. S. 130.

17 Kondakov 77. 77. Archaeological journey through Syria and Palestine. SPb., 1904. S. 31.

18 Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes… // Alpha and Omega, No. 2 (52), 2008. P. 306.

19 Many temples in the Holy Land had architecture consistent with Barsky's description. However, as soon as "zealots of piety" from the countries of the former USSR appeared in Palestine and Israel, who undertook with their own money "to bring churches to desired view”, the temple interior has changed. In temples that had never seen iconostases over the centuries of their existence, “deaf” “Russian” iconostases appeared with icons of dubious value (picturesque “pictures” of the Russian Baroque era). The author of these lines considers such “help” to be criminal when the beauty of the ancient diversity of temple architecture is destroyed.

20 See: Octoechos. Tone 8. Saturday. Great Vespers, stichera on "Lord, I have called."

21 Articles on Orthodox theology of the symbol: Schmemann A., prot. Sacrament and symbol // Orthodox community, No. 32. P. 39-52; Losev A. Dialectics of myth (corresponding section on the symbol). M., 2002;
Averintsev S. S. Symbol (encyclopedic article) // Vestnik VSU, 1998. Pilipenko E. Patristic theology of the symbol // Alpha and Omega, No. 27. S. 328-349, No. 28. S. 310-333.

22 It is the small entrance that marks the beginning of the entrance of the Eucharistic. Divine services began at the small entrance both in the East and in the West. In the “classical” version of the modern liturgy of the “Byzantine rite”, only the “entrance with the Gospel” remained, which consists in taking the Gospel out the side (northern) door of the altar and then bringing it through the Royal Doors into the altar. This is a relic form of what was performed according to the ancient Charter of worship in Hagia Sophia
Constantinople. Actually, a lot of studies and articles have already been written about the fact that the small entrance was the beginning of the Eucharistic service (See. Taft R. Byzantine church ... S. 34; Solovsh Meletsh, Fr. Divine Sturpya. Lev1v, 1999. S. 239-246). “The service of God begins with a small entrance, that is, the entry of a bishop or presbyter into the sanctuary. Liturgy begins at the small entrance in the Apostolic Decrees, in the Pilgrimage of Sylvia Eteria, and in those descriptions of the service that St. John Chrysostom... The clergyman entered the temple, and at this time the choir sang the "entrance" hymn. After that, the priest gave "peace" to the people and entered the high seat for the holy meal. After that, the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the sermon began, the prayer for the catechumens and their removal from the temple "( Solovsh Meletsh,priest Divine Sturpya. S. 240).

23 To be more precise, the first prayer refers to the priest himself and is read on the threshold of the temple (in a whisper, without the participation of the people). The second prayer is an extended initial exclamation "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity and the Single Light ...", and it is immediately followed by the prayer of the entrance of the people into the temple.

24 Here is its text: “Benefactor and Creator of all things, accept Thy converging Church, make up for every deficiency, lead everyone to perfection and make us worthy of Thy Kingdom by the grace and love of mankind of Thy Only Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed together with the Most Holy Spirit, now and in every time and forever and ever." This prayer is present at the beginning of the text of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the Slavic missal of Anthony the Roman (according to modern scientific dating of the text, the document belongs to the beginning of the 14th century). See: Missal of Anthony the Roman. pp. 15, 30 (State Historical Museum, Sin. 605/342. Preparation of the text and commentary by Y. Ruban); goar. Eujcolovgion. P. 83; Swainson. The Greek Liturgies. P.

88; OrlovM. 77., arch. Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. SPb., 1909. S. 384. It is also present in the ancient Slavic rite of the liturgy of the Apostle Peter (a translation of the Latin Mass, which was strongly influenced by the Byzantine rite). See this text: Sircu P. On the history of the collection of books in Bulgaria in the 14th century. SPb., 1890. T. I. (Issue II). pp. 221-222. In this order, the first prayer refers to the entrance of the clergy to the temple, the second to the offering, and the third to the entrance
people to the temple (which, by the way, corresponds to the arrangement of prayers in the Liturgy of the Apostle James). This prayer is present (with minor discrepancies) in all ancient Eucharistic codes.

25 See: Golubtsov A. 77. From readings ... S. 91, 153-155. Which, by the way, explains why in the modern rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James (published by Metropolitan Dionysius of Zakynthos), the prayer of “entering the veil” is immediately after the offering of the Gifts to the altar. Apparently, at this time the priest with gifts entered the altar. And if this is so, then it means that the existing rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James is greatly “supplemented”, including the prayer of entering the altar before the “trisagion”. Moreover, the “prayer of the veil” and the “prayer of the small entrance” of the clergy to the altar actually duplicate each other, repeating one another almost word for word.

26 This is, in fact, purely biblical terminology. The Apostle Paul in his epistles very often calls believers "saints" - Rom. 1:7; 15:24,26,31; 16:2, 15. 1 Cor. 1:2. 2 Cor. 1:1, 9:1. Eph. 1:1, 15; 5:3. Phil. 1:1. Qty. 1:2. 1 Thess. 5:27. Heb. 13:24. Acts. 9:32.

27 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Conversation about the holy rites and sacraments of the Church. Ch. 123. S. 204-205.

28 Maxim the Confessor, Rev. Creations. V. 2 vols. T. 1. M., 1993. S.
179.

29 Marvelous: recent times much is said about the significance of "Palamist" theology for the correct setting of the spiritual life not only of monks, but also of the laity involved in a life in God, which
there is life in the glory of Christ, the contemplation of this glory. But at the same time, the liturgical, Eucharistic aspect of this contemplation is completely ignored, to which we will try to pay at least a minimum of attention.

30 Liturgy of the Apostle James. S. 173.

31 In this regard, the modern “adapted” rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James published by the Lesna Monastery is a vivid example of liturgical illiteracy. On the one hand - ancient prayers, on the other - the modern position of the ritual. But prayers reveal the content of the ritual. We emphasize: the prayers of the liturgy of James reveal completely other the content of the ritual.

32 Maxim the Confessor, teacher Mystagogia, XIII, cf. from XV // Creations. T. 1. S. 171, 172.

33 Ibid., VII. S. 167

34 Ibid., P.S. 159.

Any of the believers who have been in a Christian church noticed the double doors located on the opposite side of the Throne, which lead to the altar and represent the gate to Paradise. Such double doors called the King's Gate, they symbolize the tradition that has come down to us since the birth of Christianity. In those days, the part where the altar was located was fenced off from the common hall of the cathedral with several pilasters, or with a low screen. As soon as the division of the Church occurred, such a barrier remained only in Catholic churches, in Orthodox Church such a barrier turned into the Royal Doors.

Icons on the gates of Paradise

On the double doors in front of the altar in the cathedrals, the image of the faces of the saints is applied, which are chosen according to the established custom. Most often, the four apostles and Blagovest are depicted on the Royal Doors. Such an image symbolizes that the Apostle Michael brought the good news that the gates of Paradise have opened again, and the Holy Scripture shows the road that leads to Paradise. However, such an image is only a custom, and not a rule that must be observed. In addition, there are also such gates on which other saints are depicted, and in cases where the Royal Doors are made in the form of low doors, they are not decorated with the faces of saints. It is noteworthy that in tribute Orthodox custom in cathedrals, on the left side of the iconostasis, the holy face of the Blessed Virgin Mary is placed, and on the other side - Jesus Christ, and after it is placed the face of the saint or the triumph, in whose name the cathedral is named.

Decorations placed on the Royal Doors of the side aisles and above them

In the case when the cathedral has a huge size, and in addition to the main chapel there are a couple of altars, then most often on the wings of one gate, images of the Feast of the Blagovest are applied to the entire canvas, and the other depicts the four apostles. However, not in all cases it is possible to fit such images on the doors of the iconostasis in the temple. The apostles in such cases are depicted as signs. Orthodox believers know that the sign of the apostles of Matthew is the holy spirit, Luke is depicted in the form of a calf, Mark is a lion and John is an eagle. Church custom also indicates the choice of faces, which are located at the top of the Royal Doors. Most often, this is an image of the Last Supper, while there are gates at the top of which depict the “Anointing of the disciples by the Savior”, which is called the Eucharist, in addition, it can be the Old Testament or New Testament Trinity, applied to the iconostasis of the temple.

Features of the manufacture and design of the Royal Doors

Throughout the history of the formation of Christianity, the architects who created the Royal Doors were given unlimited creative ideas. In addition to the external exterior, structure and decoration, the final appearance of the creation was largely determined by the materials from which the Royal Doors were made. Visiting various churches, believers may notice that the Royal Doors are made of a wide variety of materials: wood, metal, ceramics, brocatello and ordinary granite. In some cases, the choice fell on one of the materials, depending on the creator's idea, and sometimes depending on the availability of these materials. As mentioned earlier, these gates symbolize the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Quite often, the Royal Doors are the most decorated part of the chapel. This part of the iconostasis was designed using a variety of engraving and shading patterns, the most common carving plots were engravings of a bunch of grapes and holy animals. There are also the Royal Doors, which represent the Holy City of Jerusalem. With this type of gate, all faces are depicted in chests-cathedrals with domes with crosses. There are many types of decor, but the gates for all types of decoration are located clearly in the middle of the limit, behind the gates there is an altar, and then - the upper pulpit.

origin of name

They were called Royal Doors because, according to the Orthodox faith, when holy communion directly through these gates, the Almighty of Heaven and Earth, our Almighty, invisibly comes to the believers. But such a name for the limit is found only in Slavic Christianity, in Greek Orthodox churches they are called "Divine". In addition, the name "King's Doors" has deep historical origins. At the beginning of the fourth century, at the time of the recognition of Orthodoxy as an official religion and its exit from exile, by order of the Rulers, services in the cities of the Roman Empire began to be held in martyria instead of private houses, which were the largest state institutions. They previously housed courts and financial markets. Because only the Tsar and the founder of the brotherhood, the Metropolitan, could enter through the front doors, such gates began to be called "Royal". Only these people, who were considered the most important persons of prayer, had the right to pass decorously through the main entrance to the building. For other participants, a side entrance was intended. After a while, when the altar was created in Orthodox churches, the folding doors that enclose the altar from the rest of the temple began to be called the Royal Doors.

The formation of the altar in its modern form

According to historical evidence, the creation of the cathedral chapel in its current form, stretched out for quite a long time. It is noteworthy that at first the altar was fenced off from the main part of the temples only with a low barrier, and then with a screen, called "katapetasma". This designation has come down to our time. At certain times of worship, for example, when the Gifts were consecrated, the canopy was lowered, but most often it was not used. In general, in the testimonies dating back to the first millennium, there is practically no mention of curtains, and only much later the canopies became an obligatory detail of the Royal Doors, they began to put images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other angels on them. An extraordinary incident that occurred when the canopy was activated was described in the biography of Basil the Great, who lived in the fourth century. Which describes that the priest had to use this item, which had not previously been used only because his novice quite often stared at the girls in the church, and by which he openly undermined the solemnity of the service.

The symbolic meaning of the Royal Doors

However, the Royal Doors in the temple, which are depicted in the photographs, are not an ordinary detail of the internal structure of the building. Because the throne located behind the gates implies the Kingdom of Heaven, the gates themselves symbolize the entrance to the Heavenly Paradise. During Orthodox services, this semantic load on the Royal Doors is displayed in full. For example, at the Evening and All-Night Service, at the time when the Royal Doors are opened, lighting is turned on in the church, which means the illumination of the temple with a divine ray. And all believers at this moment make deep bows. The believers themselves do the same during other divine services. Among other things, in the Christian faith there is a tradition, when approaching the Royal Doors, it is necessary to be baptized and bow. During the entire Paschal Lent - Great Week - the Royal Doors in the church remain open, because Jesus, through his torment, death, and after that revival, opened the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven for all people.

Some ecclesiastical rules concerning this topic

According to the accepted church charter, only clergy are allowed to walk through the royal gates of the chapel in the temple, and only when a service is foreseen. The rest of the time, priests must use the deacon's doors for entry, which are located on the north and south side of the chapel. During the conduct of the bishop's service, only the subdeacon or sexton opens and closes the Royal Doors, but they are not allowed to be near the Altar, and, at the entrance to the Throne, they go to the places located away from it. The hierarch has a special right and in normal times is in the altar part without vestments.

Liturgical Purpose of the Royal Doors

When divine services are held, the Royal Doors are assigned a rather significant role. For example, it should be noted that through the Small Entrance, they take the Bible from the Altar and take it out to the Deacon's Doors, and bring it back to the Throne through the Royal. This act symbolizes the deep divine essence. Firstly, this action refers to the Divine Incarnation, as a result of which the Messiah was sent to mankind, and secondly, the beginning of the preaching mission of the Savior. The second time the procession of the clergy passes through the Royal Doors when the time comes for the Great Procession, which is accompanied by the singing of the Angelic song. The believers who are in the church are brought out the Cup of wine - meaning the blood of Jesus. In addition, the clergy hold a chalice (plate), on which lies the Sacrifice - bread, which means the Body of Jesus. The most common interpretation of this ritual is that this move involves the carrying of the deceased Jesus, who was removed from the crucifixion, and also the lowering of Christ into the tomb. Further, the Great Entrance continues with the utterance of liturgical prayers, and after them the Gifts will turn into the Blood and Body of Jesus. For the communion of believers, they are also taken out of the Royal Doors. The essence of such worship lies in the fact that Christ was resurrected in Divine gifts, and those believers who received Communion became recipients of Eternal Life.

Saved Shrines

There is quite a lot of evidence that the Royal Doors, under the guise of relics, were transferred from one church to another. Most often this was done during the nineties, when the gates, taken away from churches closed and plundered by the authorities and secretly saved by people, were installed in the aisles of new, freshly built churches, or in those that were restored after years oblivion.

When do the Royal Doors open?

During the Small passage with the Holy Scripture, indicating the presence of the Almighty at the reading of the Bible, and after reading the gates are closed.

During the Great Move, when the Sacred Gifts were moved from the altar to the altar, then the gates are closed, which means the appearance of Jesus in hell.

When taking out the Holy Gifts, which are used for communion by those present and which symbolizes the appearance of Jesus Christ to his novices on time. Resurrections, ascension to heaven and the opening of the gates of heaven.

For example, most long-term services are performed only with the Royal Doors closed and the canopy released. This symbolizes that people were expelled from the kingdom of heaven and that now we are obliged to weep and regret our sinful deeds before behind closed doors to Ray.

Foreword

Orthodox liturgy, being in its essence and name a common cause and common service, has developed over the centuries and has been supplemented by various rites and outward attributes. At the present stage, it is difficult to talk about the Orthodox liturgy outside the architectural space of the temple. And modern liturgical theology must have the courage to evaluate the existing order of celebrating divine services in our country. Often we just postfactum we try to justify the emerging order without thinking about its theological value.

A modern temple of the Orthodox Church is inconceivable without an altar barrier with its gates (lateral and central, "Royal"). But the altar barrier and its gates can function differently during worship. They can unite the people with the priesthood, or they can separate.

The liturgical life of the Church is an icon of her spiritual and moral state. Worship and prayer, like a supersensitive photographic film, captures in itself all the features - as in

positive as well as negative - of the spiritual image of the parish, community, even entire dioceses and Local Churches. The Eucharist is the sacrament of all sacraments, but the sacrament requires a living attitude, and not a formal and technical one. And when interest in the meaning and essence of the liturgy cools, random elements fall into its rites that do not reflect its meaning, but only close it from full perception by the people. The liturgy itself ceases to be the living heart of the life of believers. That is, in a mysterious sense, she remains such a heart, but this is not felt and is not realized by that mass of clergy and people who only “come” to the liturgy and “defend” it.

The “royal doors” of the altar have become a “stumbling block” for many, especially the fact that only in the Russian Church their opening for the entire liturgy is the “highest church award”. The author of these lines proposes to look at the liturgy through the prism of patristic theology and try to comprehend the role of the altar barrier and its gates in it, as well as their use in other Orthodox Local Churches.

History reference

From the time of the apostles and during the long three centuries of persecution, the ancient Church celebrated the Eucharist not in specially arranged churches, but in the homes of believers, or even simply in the catacombs (in Rome these were underground cemeteries and communications). Nevertheless, archaeological research has shown that even there, in rather poor conditions, there was a special allocation of the "altar", that is, the place of spiritual sacrifice. As a rule, it was a table standing on a small elevation (hence the Latin name altar- "elevation"). In buildings with an apse (conch), as a rule, this elevation was located in the apse, which was hung with a curtain during non-liturgical hours. This was especially characteristic of catacomb temples, and later - stone temples of apse architecture. That is, the sanctuary stood out and emphasized by all possible means. But at the same time, during the meeting of the community for joint worship, the sanctuary was opened before the gaze of all those praying, who gathered around the Eucharistic altar meal like a family around the festive table.

When the Church emerged from the catacombs and the Christian religion was legalized in the Empire, large temples began to appear, and the type of “temple architecture” gradually formed. But before the appearance of the iconostasis with gates (central and side) it was still far away. In the first centuries of “free existence”, two types of temple architecture were outlined: apse (elevation in a niche at the end of the temple) and basilica (an oblong rectangular room, a spacious hall, at the end of which there was a throne). Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (4th century) mentions a curtain that hid the apse of the temple with the throne located there during non-liturgical hours. But it was problematic to hang an altar in churches of the basilic type (the width of the altar there corresponded to the width of the temple). That is why Chrysostom (“Conversations on the Epistle to the Ephesians”) mentions the “barrier”, which, according to him, is not opened before the start of the service, but is “removed”. Apparently, initially it was something like a "portable picket fence", a "movable lattice", which was removed for the duration of the service and exhibited only outside the service.

However, the influx of the masses of the people set before the clergy a new, purely practical (not at all theological) task: how to protect the altar from the random onslaught of a crowded mass of parishioners? This is especially true on big holidays. This is how the first version of the “solid” (not portable) barrier of the altar arises. It will not take long to look for samples of such an obstacle. It is enough to study the architecture of ancient temples located in large pilgrimage centers. Such centers, of course, are Bethlehem and Jerusalem. According to Tarkhanova 1's research on the architecture of the ancient Bethlehem basilica and the ancient Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the barrier consisted of pillars placed around the altar (the so-called "stasis" 2 resting on the ceiling, which means "columns" in translation), between which there were large "spans". In the central "span" was the entrance to the altar, and between the other pillars there were bronze lattices (or plates), less than one and a half meters high from the ground. Such barriers successfully coped with the task 3 .

Over time, there were attempts to draw a symbolic parallel between the temple and Moses' "tabernacle of the Covenant." It is important to bear in mind that all these parallels have always arisen post factum introduction to the use of one or another detail of the temple decor and never arose per fact, as a kind of speculative principle on which the builders of the temple should be guided. First, for practical reasons, a form of interior decoration convenient for the temple appears, and then (and even then not immediately) “symbolic explanations” of this form appear.

The architecture of the "Byzantine" temple goes back to the architecture of the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem, as well as to the prototype of the latter - the "tabernacle of the Testament." In this matter, Tarkhanova's study of the Old Testament prototypes of our iconostasis is truly invaluable for the Russian-speaking reader. Both late Byzantine exegetes-liturgists and modern scholars speak of this Old Testament root. However, Tarkhanova, having delved into the features of the prototype itself, comes to the conclusion: “Architecture (of the altar. - Ig. F.) the barriers of the early Christian time are oppositeness Old Testament, borrowing from the biblical descriptions only the factual and symbolic basis: instead ofhide Holy of Holies of the temple, barrier of the first temples, onagainst, opens the altar and the liturgy taking place in itfor all believers" 4 .

This is how the iconostasis is born. A great connoisseur of the Byzantine tradition, Father Robert Taft (like Tarkhanova) says the following about Byzantine altars: “The altar barrier was made open: everything that happened inside was visible. Therefore ... the altar (i.e. the throne) stood in front of the apse, and not in the apse itself. In the apse itself there was a throne (of a bishop) and a co-throne (of presbyters)” 5 . And this situation existed for quite a long time.

In the 8th century, St. Herman of Constantinople compiled his explanation of the Divine Liturgy, as well as the structure of the temple. Firstly, he mentions only the existence of a pillar barrier and “a cosmite adorned with a Cross” in his time 6 . “Cosmit” is a beam-beam above the pillars of the “iconostasis” (the “stasis” themselves, apparently, in this case did not rest against the ceiling, representing a kind of antique portico). Secondly, having described the sacred rites of the Divine Anaphora, he addresses the readers with the words: “Having thus become eyewitnesses Divine Sacraments, ... let us glorify ... the Sacrament of the Dispensation of our Salvation” 7 . That is, the saint explained the meaning of the fact that at each liturgy seen readers of his interpretation. But they could not see all this if there was a deaf iconostasis and the closed Royal Doors. He goes on to explain why the priest bows in prayer. This is also an interpretation of that action, which for the contemporaries of the saint was visible, but incomprehensible, and therefore needed interpretation. “At least until the 11th century in Constantinople, the altar was not shielded from human eyes, and the throne was not hidden behind a curtain, which is what the frescoes and miniatures of that time show. The first mention of the closing of the gates of the altar barrier after the Great Entrance and the pulling of the veil is contained in the commentary on the liturgy of the middle of the 11th century by Nicholas of Andides Proteorius. The author calls this custom monastic” 8 .

A similar interpretation is given by the 12th-century author Theodore, Bishop of Andides: usually done in monaswarms, as well as the covering of the Divine Gifts with the so-called air, marks think, that night, on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, leading (Jesus) to Caiaphas, presenting Him to Anna and pronouncing perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then ”9. It can be seen from the quotation that the drawing of the veil and the closing of the gates is a private monastic custom, and not a statutory provision. Moreover, this text itself is a quotation from an earlier work - a commentary on the liturgy of St. Herman of Constantinople, and expresses only the private opinion (as indicated by the word "I think") of the author 10 . From the quotation itself it is not clear where the gates and curtain were located: whether on the way from the porch to the temple, or on the way from the temple to the altar. And only Theodore of Andides himself adds: “For at the time when the gates are closed, and the veil is lowered, subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, impiously and impiously walk there and here, like servants, they stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar. Below we will touch on this text again when we analyze the theological side of the issue.

But the iconostasis itself with two side and central Royal Doors already existed in the church of Sophia of Constantinople, only now it was not at the entrance to the altar, but at the entrance to the temple from the vestibule (narthex). Here, for example, is how Archbishop Simeon of Thessalonica describes the entry of a priest into the temple at the beginning of Matins (after singing the Midnight Office, which, according to the Book of Hours, should still be performed in the vestibule): “Midnight singing is over. The doors of the temple open (!) like heaven, and we enter it... the abbot will pass through the Royal Doors, and the others - on either side of him... The priest at the throne utters an exclamation» 12 . We see that, firstly, we are talking about entering the temple from the vestibule, and secondly, upon entering the temple, the priest suddenly finds himself at the throne, but it is not said that he passes through some other gates. Consequently, blessed Simeon did not know about any gates separating the temple from the altar 13 . At least he does not say that in order to get into the altar, one must also open some gate or enter some door. Similarly, in chapter 200, the same author, in the same book of conversations about the sacraments of the church, explaining the rite of ordaining a patriarch, says that the bishops enter the altar "from the side, and not from the middle." And in the book "On the Temple" the same blessed Simeon of Thessalonica mentions only a curtain around the throne and some "barriers" that separated the altar from the temple 14 .

In the same place, in the "Book of the Temple", Simeon writes that after the placing of the Gifts on the throne at the liturgy, "the Royal Doors are closed, for not everyone should be able to see the Sacraments performed in the altar" 15. At first it may seem that Simeon contradicts himself. But things are different. The royal doors were between the temple and the porch (narthex). In the narthex there were catechumens (who did not enter the temple together with the faithful). And since the altar did not have blind gates, everything that was happening in the altar could be seen from the naretx. And saying that “the Sacraments should not be visible to everyone,” he means those standing in the nartext (i.e. catechumens, as well as excommunicated, penitent and possessed by unclean spirits). The closing of the Royal Doors of the temple made it impossible for those standing in the nartext to see what was happening in the altar. But this did not in the least prevent those standing in the temple from contemplating the service at the altar.

But even if we agree that there are contradictions in the works of Simeon of Thessalonica, it is important to consider that Simeon himself was strongly influenced by the pseudo-Areo-pagite corpus with its Monophysite opposition of the people and the priesthood. On the other hand, apparently, this pseudo-Areopagite theory has not yet been universally assimilated by Orthodox churches, and therefore Simeon could speak more theoretically.

Ivan Dmitrievsky cites the words of another contemporary scholar who visited the Orthodox shrines of the East: “Vasily Grigoryevich Barsky, in his journey to the holy places, testifies that he saw in Jerusalem, in Gethsemane, at the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, in Sinai - at the very place of the appearance of the Burning Bush , such temples, inwhich have neither royal, nor northern, nor southern doors. And inJerusalem by no barrier The altar from the temple is not fromdivided. For the priesthood there is only the throne. See Barsky's Journey on pages 107 and 270 for details on this. 16 It is important to bear in mind that, according to Kondakov, it was “in the holy places of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem… that the original forms of the altar, its barrier, and the altar were formed” 17 . The influence of the architecture of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the ancient temple of Bethlehem on the design of the altars of Byzantine churches is also noted by Tarkhanova 18 . Therefore, the testimonies of people who visited ancient temples in the past centuries, until they were touched by the hand of "restorers" 19, are especially significant for us.

The question arises: how did Russian Christians deserve such a punishment - excommunication from contemplation of the sacrament of the altar? And if Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulcher are the “Mother of the Churches,” as we sing at the Sunday service 20, then it should be a guide for all of us. Otherwise, by making an attempt to be holier than the Temple of Jerusalem itself, we may turn out to be boring Pharisees, and by no means bearers of holiness.

Theology of the liturgical space

When we speak of a liturgical space, the theology of this space cannot be "autonomous" from the theology of the Eucharistic liturgy itself. What actually takes place at the Eucharist? The most basic is touching the Eternity of God. According to the wise expression of Archpriest A. Schmemann, the boundaries of time and space are overcome, and we enter into God's eternity. During the service of the liturgy, in addition to the consecration of the Gifts, there is also a spiritual movement forward, towards eternity, of the people participating in the sacred service. We can outline three main aspects of the liturgical action that directly relate to our topic: entry into glory, contemplation of glory, and the unity of the space of the temple and the altar.

Entry into glory

In the Divine services of the Orthodox Church, the idea is often emphasized that this service itself became possible only due to the fact that the Divine and the human in Christ were united, heaven and earth were united, and the "mediastinum of the barrier" was destroyed. Being present at the liturgy, standing before the Face of God, we are present in heaven, before God, in His Mysterious and Glorious Kingdom.

According to St. Maximus the Confessor, eternal realities, "future" blessings, "primordial sacraments" are communicated in the Church by the faithful "through sensible symbols." And everything in worship has its own meaning - symbolic in the highest sense of the word (ie organic, not allegorical symbolism) 21 . To understand the meaning of "entrance into the temple" as a sacrament, it is necessary to turn to the "little entrance" of the liturgy 22 .

In ancient Byzantine and Roman practice, the people gathered and waited for the priest in the temple, and when the priest entered the temple, the people greeted the incoming priest by singing psalms or, more precisely, verses from the psalms, which were called "entrance verses" (lat. introit, Greek είσοδικόν). That is why the prayer with which the divine service began was called the “prayer of the assembly of the people” or “the prayer of the entry of the people into the temple.” This prayer now stands at the beginning of the divine service in the order of the Liturgy of the Apostle James, Bishop of Jerusalem 23. The same prayer stood at the beginning of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the first of the Greek codes that have come down to us, i.e. in the Barberini code (VIII century). This prayer was read in the middle of the temple 24 . This prayer, in its meaning, refers specifically to the “gathering of the faithful at the liturgy.” It is noteworthy that in the Barberini code there is, firstly, that “small entrance” prayer, which is known from our current liturgical books, and secondly, there is no mention at all that after the priest entered the temple there was another entrance to the altar as a special procession. One has to agree with Golubtsov's opinion that in the ancient Byzantine rites, the entire first part of the service before the catechumens left was in the church, and the entrance to the altar was already along with the "brought" gifts for the Eucharist 25 .

Sophia of Constantinople, built by Emperor Justinian the Great, had a charter that was completely different from all of the above. The difference between the actual Byzantine rite of Hagia Sophia (and, perhaps, almost the only temple) was that in Rome (and in other places) the people gathered in the temple before the arrival of the priesthood, and waited for the priests in the temple. In the "Great Church" (Hagia Sophia) of Constantinople, everything was different. The people gathered at the entrance to the temple in a special atrium (covered western gallery), which was specially attached outside along the entire perimeter of Hagia Sophia. It was precisely for worship in this church and under these conditions that the prayer of the “Little Entrance” was composed, which is now thoughtlessly reprinted by all our existing missal books. Here is this prayer: “Lord Lord our God! You established in heaven the ranks and hosts of angels and archangels for liturgical celebrations to Your glory. Make, together with our entrance, the entrance of Your holy angels, celebrating with us the liturgy, and together with us glorifying Your goodness, for all glory, honor and worship befits You - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and at all times and forever and ever ". It was the entrance of all the faithful who had gathered for the liturgy, and not just the priests. Therefore, the words of the prayer for the angels "celebrating the Liturgy with us" do not refer to the clergy going to the altar, but to the entire assembly of the Church. By the way, in its meaning, this prayer does not contradict at all, but on the contrary, emphasizes the thoughts set forth in the above ancient prayer “gatherings of the people in the temple”. There the people are called the “gathering Church,” but here this very thought is expressed in the request for the participation of “all of us” (all those standing in the atrium at the entrance to the church) in “common liturgical celebration.” That is why the "modern" practice of reading this prayer on the steps of the ambo at the "improvised" entrance to the altar (after exiting from there) greatly distorts not only the very meaning of the entrance, but also the understanding of the words of the prayer. After all, only clerics enter the altar, and therefore the meaning of the prayer for entering the altar can only apply to them, and, consequently, the people drop out of the number of “soliturges” along with the angels of this service. And it is to all the people that the "blessing of the entrance of the saints" applies. Saints are here called all Christians who begin the service of the Eucharist 26 .

The comments of Simeon of Thessalonica about the “entrances” at the service are very significant for us. Matins (like the Liturgy) began in the narthex (porch), where both the catechumens and the excommunicated stood together with the faithful. But then the faithful entered the temple. And this is how the sequence of worship in this place is commented on by the descriptor: “Now, at the beginning of prayer, we stand outside the temple, as if outside paradise, or outside heaven itself, depicting only earthly life. Sometimes those who repent, or those who turn after renunciation, sometimes stand with us, and sometimes they are announced by the word of faith. When the gates are opened - at the end of the hymns sung outside the temple - we enter the Divine temple, as if into paradise or heaven, and those (excommunicated and penitent with catechumens) remain outside. This action (entering the temple) means that the heavens have already been opened to us, and we have already gained accessin the holy of holies(sic) we rise to the light, and approaching, atwe go to the throne of the Lord(!). For we go to the east, to the altar, and ascend, like clouds, divine words and hymns, to the inner temple, as if in the air to meet the Lord, who, having ascended into heaven, erected andus up, and prepared the way for us- Himself, so that we allwhere to abide with our Lord, who ministers for us.Therefore the gates are opened, and the veils are drawn back, so thatby this to show that the villages of the celestials are opening up and enteringcome into unity with the inhabitants of the earth" 21 .

And St. Maximus the Confessor speaks of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist as an entry into the future life, as the “fulfillment” of the yet “future” appearance of Christ at His Second Coming. Commenting on the meaning of the fact that after the apostolic readings at the liturgy, the bishop descends from the pulpit and after that the catechumens are removed, he writes: “The descent of the bishop from the pulpit and the removal of the catechumens means in general, the Second Coming of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, the separation of sinners from the saints, and a righteous recompense for everyone” 28 . If we take into account that for Saint Maximus the words “depicts” and “means” have the meaning not of an allegory, but of an actual phenomenon, the presence of the depicted, then his text acquires a fundamental meaning for liturgical theology. In the symbolic system of Saint Maximus, the catechumens were removed and the doors of the temple were closed behind them, which showed that they were still outside the Kingdom of God. Therefore, close the doors of the altar at this moment- znacheat (if you follow the logic of the interpretation of St. Maxim) simvoluntarily show that for those who stand outside the altar of the faithful, twori rai are closed! Saint Maximus never says that the doors of the altar are closed to the faithful.

So, the cited texts contain important dogmatic information: entering the temple mystically, mysteriously depicts the entry into God's Eternity Itself, into the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ ascended and us with Himself and in Himself exalted. And the removal of the catechumens from the temple is actual in the symbol - we are given participation in the παρουσία (Coming) of Christ: we are already in His saving Kingdom, and they (the catechumens and excommunicated) are still outside the presence of Christ. The Archbishop of Thessalonica emphasizes that we all ascend to the altar, we approach the throne of God - all together, the whole Church. And this entry is a sacrament, for it depicts and celebrates our prayerful ascension to the One Who is on the throne of Glory. “The heavenly cities have been opened, and we have already gained access to the holy of holies!” And St. Maximus speaks of entering the realm of the already realized (mysteriously) Second Coming of Christ and receiving from Him the blessed reward of glory.

Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica gave us an excellent theological presentation of the concept of serving the Church in common liturgical space not divided into parts. He emphasized the universal dignity of the faithful who approach the Heavenly Altar through the medium of the earthly altar. What can be higher than the sky? And now Heaven is opened to all of us, and we are all led into it. And what? Gained access to the holy of holies in heaven, and the reflection of this heavenly sanctuary - the altar - closed before the eyes of the majority of believers? The earthly altar is a symbol and icon of the Heavenly Altar, and if the faithful are brought into the fullness of communion with God and placed before the Heavenly Altar, then no one can close the earthly altar from the gaze of those who pray! On earth is the image of what is in heaven. Who would decide to forbid a person to hold a photograph of the king in his hands, but at the same time allow this same person to have direct access to the king, introduce him to the royal chambers, place him at the royal table and invite him to the royal family's companions?

From this it is clear that the canonical prohibition of those who are not initiated into the clergy to enter the altar refers to discipline measures designed to ensure order in the celebration of worship in the altar. There is no dogmatic, theological obstacle to entering the altar of all full members of the Church. But if small barriers are not placed in the temple for those who pray, then during a large gathering of people there may be vanity, a crush that will prevent the priesthood from serving on the altar of the Lord. The low bars did the job calmly: They did not prevent the faithful from seeing everything that happened in the altar, but at the same time they kept the shrines of the altar from unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the modern practice of serving the Eucharist in a tightly closed altar does not fit into any norms - not only theological, but even disciplinary ones. The closed Royal Doors are not justified even from the point of view of practical benefits, i.e. for reasons of convenience of the serving priest.

contemplation of glory

But Orthodox liturgical theology pays attention not only to the place of service, but also to the condition of the persons participating in the service. And it can be described in two ways: From the side of God there is a revelation of the Glory of God towards us. In this case, our participation in the service is contemplation the glory of God. In general, in Orthodox spiritual experience, in asceticism and mysticism, in prayer, contemplation as a touch on the Uncreated Light of God is of great importance. This is how this universal contemplation of the faithful is expressed in the liturgy of the Apostle James: Before the beginning of the Eucharistic Canon, when the gifts covered with “veils” are placed on the throne, the priest “removes the veils from the gifts”, while publicly explains the meaning of this sacred rite: “Having opened the mysterious veils that significantly clothe this sacred sacrifice, clearly show us and illumine our mental eyes with an incomprehensible light. Let us note that in the authentic liturgy of the liturgy of the Apostle James, the altar stands outside the “vima” (otherwise called the “apse”). In the apse are the seats of the bishop and presbyters, but not the throne itself. The throne stands on a dais, and everything that happens on the throne and around it is perfectly visible to the worshipers 31 . And people participate in the contemplation of the glory of Divine service. This is just directly opposite to everything that we have at the moment: we “hide” the Gifts, and in the authentic apostolic and patristic tradition, on the contrary, the Gifts, initially hidden under the “veils” in the sentence, are opened after enthronement, thereby portrayingEpiphany, the Revelation of God to the whole Church. How, after all, do the words of the prayer of the liturgy of the Apostle James echo with the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul: hope, which is like an anchor for the soul, safe and strong, and enters into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:17-20). Let's see what a complex, ornate path of thought to lead to the conclusion: everything had as its goal to introduce everyone us(Paul wrote to all Christians baptized and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and not just to bishops and presbyters) "into the inner" village of God's glory, "beyond the veil." But where for the veil? Is it not in the Jerusalem temple? No, but where “Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” That is, the Holy of Holies leads us into His Heavenly. Again, what is the liturgy? This is the ministry "behind the veil", within the Eternity of God, in the service of angels and all the saints. All the sacred vessels and the throne in the Church on earth are so holy and majestic because they are a reflection and, to some extent, the “embodiment” of what is now in heaven - the One service of the entire Church gathered around the throne and before the throne of the Lamb. There all the faithful are gathered together!

St. Maximus the Confessor also calls for contemplation in his “Mystagogue” (by the way, we note that the entrance of the Holy Gifts into the altar is performed, according to St. Maximus, after closing the gates of the Church, i.e. again, we are talking about closing the gates of the temple, and not the altar, otherwise, how could one “enter” the closed altar through the “shuttered doors”?): closing the gates and entering the saints yesditch, to the contemplation of intelligible logoi and things" 32 . Here it is important to pay special attention to the fact that the contemplation of the logoi, according to St. Maximus, is always accomplished in material things and through things. “The intelligible world (i.e. the logoi) is in the sensible, just as the soul is in the body” 33 . And things (material or, in the language of Saint Maximus, “sensual”) are the flesh of the intelligible world. So, when St. Maximus says that God invites His faithful to contemplation of intelligible logoi and things, then this emphasizes the importance of contemplation of the performed sacred action! Let us repeat: the logos can be seen only in its flesh and through the flesh - through things, and therefore the things themselves are contemplated (it is not for nothing that St. Maximus emphasizes the importance of contemplating not only logoi, but also things). And only in things, through a subtle, mysterious contemplation, does a person see the logos of a thing. It is impossible to be a participant in the liturgy and not be a contemplator of the logoi of this service.

The unity of the temple and the altar

Saint Maximus the Confessor, in his wonderful Mystagogy, explains the structure of an Orthodox church. He clearly distinguishes the altar, in which physically only priests and a common temple (ναός) can be present. But at the same time, he makes the greatest remark about the special “transfiguration” of the temple and the change in its structure during the liturgy: “The temple is an altar in the possibility, since it is consecrated when the sacred action rises to its highest point. But the altar, on the contrary, is always a temple. These words are commented on by the greatest connoisseur of the Orthodox tradition, modern patrologist A. Sidorov: “The temple is an altar only in potency, actualizing as such (i.e. becoming an altar)only at the highest moment of service. But the altar is always actually part of the temple” 35 . So, at the time of the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist the whole temple is relevant(!) becomes an altar. The space of the altar expands and goes beyond its usual limits. The altar fills the whole temple with itself, turns the whole temple into an altar. This is a very important remark of St. Maxim: all the faithful stand in the altar at the Liturgy. But why then these closed gates, if all people really, together with us priests, stand in the altar, only behind us? The inadmissibility of the “closed Royal Doors” is self-evident, for it is precisely this that emphasizes the separation of the temple from the altar, and this separation is abolished in the unity of the celebration of the liturgy by the whole Church, in a single altar. That is why the priest, standing at the throne, even if he celebrates the liturgy alone, in prayer says that God "vouchsafed us stand before his saint altar (altar), and also "granted us serve the holy altar." If there is only one priest in the altar, then it would be logical to make a remark: “For the sole service of a priest, read “I” instead of “we”. But nothing of the kind, thank God, is found in our service books.

I would like to complete this theological part with the words of the Apostle of Christ Paul: “So, brethren, having the audacity to entertake to the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, the new and living way, which He has revealed to us again through the veil that is, our own flesh, and [having] a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart, with full faith, having cleansed our hearts from an evil conscience by sprinkling, and having washed our bodies with pure water, let us hold fast to the confession of hope unswervingly, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23).

Contemplation of the Lamb

There is one more detail in the Orthodox liturgy (and not only, but even in the Catholic Mass). This is the contemplation by believers of the Holy Lamb, which the priest lifts up before the eyes of the people during the exclamation "Holy to the holies." Patristic liturgical exegesis devotes a special place to this ancient act. There is the following comment in the Areopagitic Corpus: “The clergyman, having sung the sacred services of God, performs the Divine Mysteries. And sanctify them voznosit before your eyes and them shows them... And thus, having shown the Gifts of Divine Action, he proceeds to partake of them himself, and calls others.

The pseudo-Areopagite is echoed by Saint Nicholas Cabasilas: “Then the priest intends to proceed himself and invite others to the Meal ... He took and showing The Life-Giving Bread calls for communion... And it proclaims “The Holy One to the Saints”, as if saying: “Here is the Bread of Life, which you seethose. Go, therefore, take communion”” 37 . Evidence of Kava power is of particular value. He himself belongs to an era when the trend towards the construction of high iconostasis and the presence of the closed Royal Doors of the altar at the liturgy was already in full bloom. It can be said that Nicholas Cabasilas swam against the current, was a kind of prophet of the Eucharistic rebirth in his contemporary environment. It can be called "Byzantine John of Kronstadt".

An undoubted connoisseur of Orthodox liturgy and its history, Professor Ivan Dmitrievsky describes this moment in the following way: “The action to exalt the Body of Christ when proclaiming “Holy to the Holy” is mentioned in the liturgy of the Apostle James and in the liturgy of the Apostle Peter. About this elevation write St. Dionysius (pseudo) Areopagite and St. Maxim the Confessor. Therefore, This establishment dates back to the timeapostolic. In the primordial Church, when there were no altars and thrones (similar to the present ones), the rites were performed on a wooden table set in the church, where all those present could see all the actions of the Eucharist. And when the time for communion came, the presbyter or bishop ... lifted up the Holy Gifts in view of everyone and loudly proclaimed: Holy - to the saints ”38. "The bishop or presbyter, raising the Holy Gifts up and showing them to the people, exclaims: “The holy one is holy” 39 .

So, we see that the rite of the offering of the Divine Bread during the pronouncement of "Holy to the Holy" has a completely unambiguous and the only one meaning: to present to the participants in contemplation Divine Food - Source of Incorruptibility. If the rite does not achieve its inherent purpose, it loses its meaning, it becomes profanation. I think no one will deny that behind the drawn veil (and even without it, with the gates of the iconostasis closed) it is impossible to “see” this Divine exaltation. Consequently, we will have to admit that a secret act loses its meaning and is performed with a different meaning than it definitely prescribed consent fromtsov in the Orthodox tradition!

Allegorism and Liturgy

The allegorical interpretation of the actions and decor of the liturgy was an attempt to comprehend the structural changes that had arisen in its order of rites. It is useless to talk about the reasons for the changes themselves, since we can only talk in the subjunctive mood (documents that testify to the time and reasons for such a change have not come down to us). Only one thing can be said with certainty: the allegorical explanation of the custom of closing the gates of the altar and drawing the veil appears much later than the custom itself. Almost the first written monument that gives an allegorical interpretation of this action is an explanation of the liturgy of Bishop Theodore of Andides (XII century): usually businesseats in monasteries, as well as the covering of divine gifts with the so-called air, I think, marks the night on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, the bringing (Jesus) to Caiaphas, the presentation of His Anna and the pronunciation of perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then. For at the time when the gates are closed and the veil lowered, the subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, unseemly and impiously walk hither and thither, like servants, stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar” 40 . The first thing that catches your eye is just the mystical separation of the temple and the altar during the liturgy. That is, the exact opposite of what St. Maximus the Confessor said! The second is a comparison of the “yard of the altar” (temple) with the court of the high priest, and the subdeacons standing in the temple with a maid, from fear of whom Peter denied Christ. You can't say anything, a worthy comparison for clerics!

Later, allegorical "interpretations" began to grow like mushrooms after rain, crowding out the interpretations of the Church Fathers of the early era, who explained the connection of the temple and the altar with worship through the prism of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist. To “justify” manipulations with the Royal Doors, they usually refer to the symbolic meaning of the liturgy, during which the whole life of Christ on earth is depicted (for example, closing the gates after the Cherubic Hymn “depicts” the Savior’s position in the tomb and the sealing of the tomb). But the liturgy is precisely a symbol, not a drama. There are no "actors and scenery" in the symbol. There are priests in the symbol, and the latter include not only the priesthood, but also the entire church people consecrated in the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. And all who are in the church participate in this sacred service, all the faithful participate in the fullness of the symbolism of the liturgy. In this sense of the word, “not the altar is the “sepulcher of Christ”, but the whole Church as a single liturgical space, and even all the faithful,” as St. Nicholas Cabasilas writes, are the Tomb into which the Body and Blood of Christ descends, and from which Christ resurrects, resurrecting man with Himself.

Moreover, at the hierarchal liturgy (or at the liturgy of "awarded" archimandrites and archpriests) there are no many manipulations with the gates and veils: the gates are opened at the beginning of the service and closed during the communion of the priesthood 41 . The question arises (in the context of the symbolic interpretation of the "opening-closing" of the holy gates): except during the service of "special" archimandrites and during the liturgical service of the bishopthere is no need to depict from the altar the coffin in which he believesis the Body of Christ? And what about the open-air liturgy service (when the Patriarch of Moscow himself servestour in Diveevo on the square of the monastery)? There isn't at allneither an iconostasis, nor, moreover, a closed altar spacestva. Is this liturgy "less fertile"? Or is it “inferior in terms of the symbolism of the sacrament”, because no gates and no catapetasma? Hardly anyone will allow themselves to say this, but these are the logical conclusions from the demands that are made today by the "zealots" of the existing order.

The same applies to another “theological” argument about the need to keep the gates of the altar closed: “This Sacrament is performed in the altar by the clergy ... with the Royal Doors closed (if a priest, not a bishop, serves), because initially this Sacrament was performed by Christ in the presence of one only disciples… and also in order to keep this sacrament from unworthy eyes, for the human heart and eye are deceitful and unworthy to see this Sacrament,” Bishop Benjamin writes with reference to St. John of Kronstadt 42 . Firstly, all those baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Spirit are the disciples of Christ, called to His meal. (after all, the one who takes communion is a participant in the Sacrament). All who are present at the liturgy are its participants. And Christ did not divide the participants in the Last Supper into two classes: those who see what He is doing, and those who do not see, but to whom the Body of Christ is only “carried out” from the upper room. Secondly, the question again arises: if a bishop serves, then the eye of those standing in the temple is not unclean and the heart is not deceitful? 43 What is the point of dividing the single sacred mystical space of the Body of Christ (Church) during the liturgy - at a time when all obstacles must be overcome? Liturgy - the feast of the Kingdom of God is already here on earth. And the open gates of Eternity should become the symbol of this feast, which unites heaven and earth, throughout the whole service, and the service of Eternity is performed by the whole Church in a single and indivisible space.

About how the altar partition negatively affects the clergy themselves, such persons as Father A. Schme-man and Father N. Afanasiev wrote. A brief summary of their thought is as follows: separated from the gaze of those praying, the clergy in the altar often conduct conversations during the service, sit, read letters, communicate with the brothers. The absence of an iconostasis or - at least - low iconostasis and wide Royal Doors 44 , holed whole service will serve to increase the prayerful piety of the clergy themselves.

Statutory matters

When we propose any kind of liturgical transformations, we cannot pass by the typikon and confine ourselves to one theology. Let us consider, firstly, headings 45, officially adopted in the Russian Orthodox Church, the Service Book, and secondly, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon, also officially adopted.

Missal

Our Slavonic Priestly Missal says nothing about the veil at the liturgy: neither about its pulling after the Cherubic Hymn and opening before the singing of the Creed, nor about its pulling before the exclamation "Holy to the Holies." The Missal does not even say that after the Great Entrance the gates of the altar are closed. It is said that they open to the small entrance at the third antiphon and close after reading the Gospel 46.

The Missal only mentions that before the communion of the people the gates are opened, which implies their closing before this (but does not say at what time of the liturgy they should be closed). However, the pre-Nikonian Missal gives an indication that before the beginning of the liturgy, at the end of the proskomedia, “the priest, having opened the holy gates, takes an hour off” 47 . The same indication of the end of the hours after the proskomidia is present in the manuscript of the liturgy of Basil the Great, published by Professor Archpriest M. Orlov: “For this reason, the holy priest incense. And the reception of the censer, the deacon opens the Royal doors, and censes the holy altar around the cruciform, saying in himself the 50th psalm. And the saint and the whole altar incense. And becoming at the royal doors censes the abbot ... Therefore, the priest, standing in the royal doors, creates a vacation (proskomedia.- Ig. F.).... The deacon bowed to the priest, comes out through holy doors and, standing in his usual place, bowing three times, he says: Bless, lord.

In addition, in the Missal there is an interesting prescription for the deacon before the exclamation "Holy to the Holy": "The deacon, standing before St. gates (!), Seeing that the priest takes the Holy Bread, he says: "Let's listen." I wonder with what eyes he can see this if the gates are closed (sometimes they are deaf) and the kata-petasma is closed? Is it not "with the eyes of faith"?

Concerning the liturgical practice existing in the Russian Orthodox Church, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, in response to a letter from his bishop, who ordered to observe the instructions of the charter on the Royal Doors and the Veil, wrote: "I I think that it is a big and even tragic mistake to absolutize what the Church herself did not absolutize, arguing that only this or that practice is correct, and any other is incorrect. For example, in no place in the text of the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as it is printed in Russian “standard” books (I have before me the excellent Moscow Synodal edition of 1904), is the veil even mentioned. If the closing of the royal doors during the divine service were really an organic and essential part of the Eucharistic service, they would not remain open when a bishop is serving or, as is customary in Russian practice, a priest of a certain rank ... Personally, I am convinced that modern Greek practice, in which the doors are not at allclosed during the entire liturgy, much moreon the true spirit of the Eucharist and the Orthodox understanding of the Church than the practice of the Russian Church, which seems toconstantly highlights the division among God's peopleand clergy" 49 .

23rd chapter of the Slavonic Typikon of the Russian Church

“But what about the Typicon?” - zealots of "fatherly traditions" will sigh. Indeed, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon gives instructions regarding the timing of the use of the veil. But why did the Typicon speak about the actions of the clerics in the altar? After all, the Typikon has never touched the service in the altar. The Typicon is a kliros book, in which "we" always refers to the choir, while the priesthood is always referred to in the third person. Therefore, it is strange that the Typicon gives instructions regarding the veil of the gates, when this is not the work of the readers, but the work of the clergy. There can be only one conclusion here: there is no indication of catapetasma in the Missal, while overzealous scribes-scribes decided to reflect the correct, in their opinion, order of hanging the altar in the Typikon, as if making up for the "omission" of the Missal.

But it is striking that the zealots of the "Typicoine piety" simply do not want to pay attention to the fact that most of the modern worship goes against the Typicon that we have. And it is not known what, from the point of view of the compilers of the Typika, was a great evil: to serve Matins in the evening, and Vespers - barely “rising from the bed” (as we have during Great Lent), or to violate their instructions regarding the Royal Doors and the Catapetasma? fifty

From the point of view of modern historical and liturgical science, it is important to answer the question: how and when to our Typiconhit chapter 23 1 }

An undoubted connoisseur of the liturgical tradition of the Church, the great luminary of Russian liturgical science, Professor of the Kiev Theological Academy Mikhail Skaballanovich, also dealt with this issue. Here is the information he provides about the development of the Slavic Typikon: Slavic copies from the Jerusalem Typikon contained many contributions by scribes. “Some manuscripts even introduce whole new articles, some of them are accepted in our current Typicon. For example, in the Typicon of the beginning of the 16th century (manuscript of the Moscow Synod, bibl. No. 336/338), a chapter is introduced “On the zap of the holy altar when it is opened” 51 .

The specified time (the beginning of the 16th century) is the era of the formation in Russia of that very self-consciousness, which subsequently led to a crisis with the Old Believers. This culture can be called "Monophysite" in its attitude to worship and ritual, to the letter of the Rule. It was at this time that the charter in Russia (as in its time among the Monophysites) in the name of the "sacredness of worship" was overgrown with secondary elements, behind which the content and meaning of the sacraments of the holy altar were no longer visible.

But no matter how we relate to the Typicon, we must remember that the very word "Typicon" means "Collection of samples", sketches of worship. This is not a canon with its strict requirements, but only a model, touches that are not eternal and unshakable.

In different places and at different times, different traditions were observed regarding the use of the veil and the Royal Doors in the liturgy. What is unconditional is the primordial and venerable genuine Christian antiquity, the antiquity that does not decay, but is renewed, the tradition of serving the liturgy in co-service of the whole people, in its full participation in this service - hearing, prayer, contemplation, communion, thanksgiving.

What prevents us, according to the holy fathers and according to the tradition of the "Mother Church" - the holy Sepulcher of our Lord, from accepting a tradition in which all the faithful could contemplate the Eucharistic rite?

Conclusion

The church is a living organism, not a soulless building. Any living organism is subject to suffering, metamorphoses. And the task of any living organism is to defeat diseases, “shake off the dust” and develop further. I would like to hope that the research carried out by the theological school will not “fall into a folder”, will not be covered with “secular dust”, but will become an incentive for real activity to transform our liturgical life. Now this topic is especially relevant, because without a full-fledged introduction of a believer into Orthodox worship, we risk losing this believer, if not for the Church as a whole, then for worship. Our people use all kinds of liturgical surrogates, apocryphal prayers due to the inaccessibility of worship for them. And one catechesis is not enough here. Coming to the temple, a person (if he wants to become a member of the community, and not just come in to “light a candle”) looks for his place in worship. But it turns out to be closed to him.

At the end, the author offers readers a list of literature used by him in the preparation of this article and at the same time recommended to those who wish to more thoroughly study the issues raised in this brief study.

Notes

1 See Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes of the altar barrier of Byzantine churches // Alpha and Omega, no. 2 (52); 3 (53), 2008.

2 Later, these pillars began to be decorated on top with icons and carved decorations. Hence the name: "Iconostasis".

3 In our churches, this is also relevant: if barriers are not put up in cathedrals, then, for example, on Easter, the people can simply “sweep away” the priesthood along with the throne.

4 Tarkhanova S.

5 Taft R. Byzantine Church Rite. SPb., 2000. S. 79.

6 Germanus of Constantinople, set. The Tale of the Church and the Consideration of the Sacraments. M., 1995. Ch. 8. P. 47.

7 Ibid. Ch. 41. P. 81.

8 Nicholas Kim, Rev. Note No. 8 to the Letters of St. Nikita Stifata // Rev. Nikita Stefat. About Ray. SPb., 2005.

9 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. A brief discourse on the mysteries and images of the Divine Liturgy, compiled at the request of the God-loving Basil, Bishop of Phytia. Pech. by ed.: KrasnoseltsevN. F. Explanation of the liturgy compiled by Theodore, Bishop of Andides // Orthodox interlocutor. Kazan, 1884. Book. I. Ch. 21.

10 See: PG 98: 425-428.

11 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. Brief discussion… Chap. 21.

12 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Talk about the holy rites and the sacraments of the church. Ch. 274.

13 Although in the 147th chapter of this work some special “gates of the altar” are mentioned, but here openings in stasis with a small “gate” can be called gates, as can now be found in Greek types of iconostasis.

14 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Temple Book IIDmitrievsky 77. Historical, dogmatic and sacramental interpretation of the Divine Liturgy. M., 1884. S. 385. But the “sacred doors of the altar” are also mentioned there. (Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The Book of the Temple... S. 402), which were opened at the small entrance during the bishop's service. However, we could assume - because. there is no description of the iconostasis from the time of Simeon of Thessalonica, which means all the same partitions knee-deep to a man of average height.

15 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The book about the Temple ... S. 410.

16 Ibid. S. 130.

17 Kondakov 77. 77. Archaeological journey through Syria and Palestine. SPb., 1904. S. 31.

18 Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes… // Alpha and Omega, No. 2 (52), 2008. P. 306.

19 Many temples in the Holy Land had architecture consistent with Barsky's description. However, as soon as "zealots of piety" from the countries of the former USSR appeared in Palestine and Israel, who undertook to "bring the temples into the right form" with their own money, the temple interior changed. In temples that had never seen iconostases over the centuries of their existence, “deaf” “Russian” iconostases appeared with icons of dubious value (picturesque “pictures” of the Russian Baroque era). The author of these lines considers such “help” to be criminal when the beauty of the ancient diversity of temple architecture is destroyed.

20 See: Octoechos. Tone 8. Saturday. Great Vespers, stichera on "Lord, I have called."

21 Articles on Orthodox theology of the symbol: Schmemann A., prot. Sacrament and symbol // Orthodox community, No. 32. P. 39-52; Losev A. Dialectics of myth (corresponding section on the symbol). M., 2002;
Averintsev S. S. Symbol (encyclopedic article) // Vestnik VSU, 1998. Pilipenko E. Patristic theology of the symbol // Alpha and Omega, No. 27. S. 328-349, No. 28. S. 310-333.

22 It is the small entrance that marks the beginning of the entrance of the Eucharistic. Divine services began at the small entrance both in the East and in the West. In the “classical” version of the modern liturgy of the “Byzantine rite”, only the “entrance with the Gospel” remained, which consists in taking the Gospel out the side (northern) door of the altar and then bringing it through the Royal Doors into the altar. This is a relic form of what was performed according to the ancient Charter of worship in Hagia Sophia
Constantinople. Actually, a lot of studies and articles have already been written about the fact that the small entrance was the beginning of the Eucharistic service (See. Taft R. Byzantine church ... S. 34; Solovsh Meletsh, Fr. Divine Sturpya. Lev1v, 1999. S. 239-246). “The service of God begins with a small entrance, that is, the entry of a bishop or presbyter into the sanctuary. Liturgy begins at the small entrance in the Apostolic Decrees, in the Pilgrimage of Sylvia Eteria, and in those descriptions of the service that St. John Chrysostom... The clergyman entered the temple, and at this time the choir sang the "entrance" hymn. After that, the priest gave "peace" to the people and entered the high seat for the holy meal. After that, the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the sermon began, the prayer for the catechumens and their removal from the temple "( Solovsh Meletsh,priest Divine Sturpya. S. 240).

23 To be more precise, the first prayer refers to the priest himself and is read on the threshold of the temple (in a whisper, without the participation of the people). The second prayer is an extended initial exclamation "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity and the Single Light ...", and it is immediately followed by the prayer of the entrance of the people into the temple.

24 Here is its text: “Benefactor and Creator of all things, accept Thy converging Church, make up for every deficiency, lead everyone to perfection and make us worthy of Thy Kingdom by the grace and love of mankind of Thy Only Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed together with the Most Holy Spirit, now and in every time and forever and ever." This prayer is present at the beginning of the text of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the Slavic missal of Anthony the Roman (according to modern scientific dating of the text, the document belongs to the beginning of the 14th century). See: Missal of Anthony the Roman. pp. 15, 30 (State Historical Museum, Sin. 605/342. Preparation of the text and commentary by Y. Ruban); goar. Eujcolovgion. P. 83; Swainson. The Greek Liturgies. P.

88; OrlovM. 77., arch. Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. SPb., 1909. S. 384. It is also present in the ancient Slavic rite of the liturgy of the Apostle Peter (a translation of the Latin Mass, which was strongly influenced by the Byzantine rite). See this text: Sircu P. On the history of the collection of books in Bulgaria in the 14th century. SPb., 1890. T. I. (Issue II). pp. 221-222. In this order, the first prayer refers to the entrance of the clergy to the temple, the second to the offering, and the third to the entrance
people to the temple (which, by the way, corresponds to the arrangement of prayers in the Liturgy of the Apostle James). This prayer is present (with minor discrepancies) in all ancient Eucharistic codes.

25 See: Golubtsov A. 77. From readings ... S. 91, 153-155. Which, by the way, explains why in the modern rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James (published by Metropolitan Dionysius of Zakynthos), the prayer of “entering the veil” is immediately after the offering of the Gifts to the altar. Apparently, at this time the priest with gifts entered the altar. And if this is so, then it means that the existing rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James is greatly “supplemented”, including the prayer of entering the altar before the “trisagion”. Moreover, the “prayer of the veil” and the “prayer of the small entrance” of the clergy to the altar actually duplicate each other, repeating one another almost word for word.

26 This is, in fact, purely biblical terminology. The Apostle Paul in his epistles very often calls believers "saints" - Rom. 1:7; 15:24,26,31; 16:2, 15. 1 Cor. 1:2. 2 Cor. 1:1, 9:1. Eph. 1:1, 15; 5:3. Phil. 1:1. Qty. 1:2. 1 Thess. 5:27. Heb. 13:24. Acts. 9:32.

27 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Conversation about the holy rites and sacraments of the Church. Ch. 123. S. 204-205.

28 Maxim the Confessor, Rev. Creations. V. 2 vols. T. 1. M., 1993. S.
179.

29 Surprisingly, much has been said lately about the significance of "Palamist" theology for the correct setting of the spiritual life not only of monks, but also of the laity involved in a life in God, which
there is life in the glory of Christ, the contemplation of this glory. But at the same time, the liturgical, Eucharistic aspect of this contemplation is completely ignored, to which we will try to pay at least a minimum of attention.

30 Liturgy of the Apostle James. S. 173.

31 In this regard, the modern “adapted” rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James published by the Lesna Monastery is a vivid example of liturgical illiteracy. On the one hand - ancient prayers, on the other - the modern position of the ritual. But prayers reveal the content of the ritual. We emphasize: the prayers of the liturgy of James reveal completely other the content of the ritual.

32 Maxim the Confessor, teacher Mystagogia, XIII, cf. from XV // Creations. T. 1. S. 171, 172.

33 Ibid., VII. S. 167

34 Ibid., P.S. 159.

part of the temple and symbolize the gates of Paradise.

Story

In ancient Christian catacomb churches, the altar was separated from the rest of the temple by two symbolic columns or a special barrier.

Testus, CC BY-SA 3.0

After the great schism of the Christian church (1054), the altar barrier in its former form was partially preserved in the west (but much more often it looks like a low border, in front of which they take communion on their knees, or is completely absent), and in the Orthodox Church it developed into an iconostasis, the wings of which became the Royal (Holy) Doors (Greek Ωραία Πύλη).

In worship

In Greek tradition they are called "Holy Gates". The Slavic name "Royal Doors" is explained by the fact that through them the King of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Holy Gifts, comes out during communion of the laity. Historically, it inherits the Byzantine name of the central entrance from the vestibule to the temple, transferred to the central entrance to the altar.

In the process of development of Orthodox worship, the Royal Doors acquire great symbolic significance.

Only clergymen can enter the Royal Doors and only during divine services. In other cases, the entrance to the altar and the exit is through the northern and southern doors of the iconostasis (the so-called deacon doors). Outside of worship and without vestments, only a bishop has the right to enter and leave the altar through the Royal Doors.

Inside the altar, behind the Royal Doors, there is a special veil - catapetasma, which is opened in whole or in part at the moments of worship established by the charter.

In an Orthodox church there is not a single thing or action that would not carry a semantic spiritual load.

Including the iconostasis and the veil over the Royal Doors are full-fledged "participants" of worship.

Photo: Alexander Shurlakov

What is the significance of these objects in the microcosm of an Orthodox church?

architecture and interior decoration an Orthodox church is, so to speak, heaven on earth. This is a model of the spiritual world - the Kingdom of Heaven - which the Lord revealed to us through the holy prophet Moses on Mount Sinai.

Then God commanded to create the Old Testament tabernacle according to a clear pattern, given by Him to Moses down to the smallest detail. The New Testament Orthodox Church has the same structure as the Old Testament one, with the difference that our Lord Jesus Christ became man and accomplished the work of saving the human race. It was because of this grandiose event that changes occurred in the New Testament temple relative to the Old Testament.

But the three-part structure of the temple remained unchanged.

Under the holy prophet Moses, these were: the court, the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies.

In the New Testament temple, this is the narthex, the middle part of the temple and the altar.

The vestibule and the middle part of the temple symbolize the Church on earth. All believing Orthodox Christians can be here. The middle part of the temple corresponds to the Old Testament sanctuary. Previously, no one could be in it, except for priests.

But today, since the Lord cleansed us all with His pure blood and united us with the Sacrament of Baptism, then in the middle part of the temple - this New Testament sanctuary - all Orthodox Christians can stay.

The holy of holies of the Moses temple corresponds to the altar in the New Testament church.

He is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. No wonder it is built on an elevation relative to the middle part of the temple and the vestibule. The very word "altus" in Latin means "high".

The center of the altar is the throne. This is the throne on which God himself sits invisibly in the temple.

The main place of the Orthodox Church. Even a clergyman without special need (worship, trebe) and the necessary liturgical clothing (for example, a cassock) should not touch him - this is holy land, the place of the Lord.

Throne with Gifts

Usually, a special wall, decorated with icons, is erected between the altar and the middle part of the temple.

It's called the iconostasis.

The word is Greek, compound, formed from the words "icon" and "stand". This partition was erected, as others incorrectly think, not so that it would not be visible what the priest was doing in the altar. Of course not. The iconostasis has a well-defined liturgical and spiritual load.

The practice of erecting iconostases is very ancient.

According to church tradition, the first who commanded to close the altar with a curtain was St. Basil the Great in the second half of the 4th century.

But the partitions between the altar and the middle part of the temple are known even earlier. For example, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

The modern look of the iconostasis was practically formed in church art by the beginning of the 15th century.

So, what does the iconostasis mean in the spiritual and liturgical sense?

It symbolizes the world of saints and angels - the Kingdom of Heaven, still inaccessible to us.

This is the place and state of mind to which we need to strive. The Kingdom of Heaven for us - living on earth - is still separated and inaccessible. But every Orthodox Christian is obliged to go to it and strive with the help of those saving means that the Church and Its Head, Christ, offer us.

The visual separation of the altar from the middle part of the church should motivate us to strive there - to the mountain, and this desire is the core of the life of every Orthodox Christian.

We believe that one day the merciful Lord will open the doors to paradise for us and lead us into it, like a Father who loves His child...

On the other hand, the icons of the iconostasis tell us the story of the salvation of the human race by our Lord Jesus Christ.

For example, the iconostasis can be single- or multi-tiered.

Iconostasis in Myshkin

In the first tier in the middle is the Royal Doors.

It is also the place of God.

Even a priest does not have the right to pass through them: only in vestments and at a strictly defined time of service.

To the right and left are the so-called deacon's gates.

Through them, clergymen and clergymen can enter the altar. They are called deacons.

because through them the deacons leave the altar and come back during the pronunciation of special prayers (litanies) in front of the Royal Doors.

To the right of the Royal Doors is placed the icon of the Savior, and to the left of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the deacon gates themselves, as a rule, the icons of the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel are placed - these heavenly deacons of God, or the holy deacons of the First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen and Martyr Lawrence.

Less often - other icons. Behind the deacon's gate on the right is a temple icon.

If there is a second tier in the iconostasis, it is called the “deesis tier”. "Deisis" in Greek means "prayer, petition."

We often have an incorrect form of translation into modern Russian of this word - “deesis”.

In the center of the row is depicted Christ the Pantocrator (Almighty) on the throne, to the right of him (when viewed from the side of the temple, then to the left) - the Most Holy Theotokos in a prayer pose, and to the left (if from the temple - then to the right) - the holy Prophet Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John also with outstretched hands in prayer.

Directly above the Royal Doors is the icon of the Last Supper - which became the first Liturgy performed by God himself.

This is a symbol of the main ministry of the Church and the temple, including the service of the Holy Eucharist - the Body and Blood of Christ.

If there is a third tier in the iconostasis, then icons of the Twelve Feasts are placed on it.

It is they who symbolize the salvation of fallen mankind by Christ.

Less common (only in large cathedrals) are the fourth and fifth tiers. The fourth row depicts the holy prophets, the fifth - the forefathers (the holy forefathers Adam and Eve, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, etc.).

The icon of the Holy Trinity is placed in the center of the top row of the iconostasis.

And it is crowned with the Holy Cross as the main instrument of our salvation.

The veil in the church is called the Greek word "katapetasma" (translated as "curtain").

It separates the Royal Doors from the side of the altar from the Holy Altar.

The veil on ordinary days (during Lent it changes to a black cloth)

Veil during the Easter period (required in red)

Everything in the temple: both the Royal Doors and the veil have a strictly defined meaning.

For example, the Royal Doors are, so to speak, the doors of Christ. Therefore, round icons of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and the four holy evangelists are often placed on them - they preach the gospel of the God-man Christ.

The opening of the Royal Doors at the divine service and the passage of the clergy through them is a symbol of the fact that the Lord is present in the temple and blesses those who pray.

Example.

The beginning of the all-night vigil. After the ninth hour, the Royal Doors open, and the priest in silence performs incense, then he proclaims the doxology to the Holy Trinity and other statutory prayers before the altar, then through the Royal Doors he leaves the altar and censes the entire church, icons, and those who pray.

All this symbolizes the beginning of the Sacred history, the creation of the world, humanity.

The censing by the priest of the altar and those praying symbolizes that God was in paradise with people, and they directly visibly communicated with Him. After censing, the Royal Doors are closed.

The fall into sin and the expulsion of people from paradise took place. The gates open again at Vespers, a small entrance is made with a censer - this is God's promise not to leave sinning people, but to send His Only Begotten Son to them for salvation.

The same is true of the Liturgy. The royal doors open in front of the small entrance - a symbol of Christ's entrance to preach, therefore, after this and a little later, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Great Entrance with the Chalice and the paten is the entrance of the Savior to the suffering on the cross.

Closing of the catapetasma before the exclamation “Let's go. Holy to the saints ”- a symbol of the death of Christ, the position of His body in the tomb and the closing of the tomb with a stone.

For example, many Lenten services are held not only with the Royal Doors closed, but also with the veil closed. This is a symbol of the fact that humanity has been expelled from paradise, that we must now weep and lament over our sins before the closed entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The opening of both the veil and the Royal Doors during the Easter service is a symbol of the restoration of the lost communion with God, the victory of Christ over the devil, death and sin, and the opening of the path to the Kingdom of Heaven for each of us.

All this tells us that in Orthodox worship, as well as in the construction of a church, there is nothing superfluous, but everything is harmonious, harmonious and designed to lead an Orthodox Christian into the heavenly chambers.

Priest Andrei Chizhenko