Analysis of the painting The Death of Maria by Caravaggio. Dormition of Our Lady

The Church sanctifies everything that accompanies a Christian in his Everyday life. Some things and everyday phenomena are given more attention, others less, but everything that surrounds a person should be blessed by God. Prayer singing on New Year has as its goal a petition for God's blessing for the period of a person's life, covered by the annual liturgical circle.

Features of the ceremony for the New Year are as follows.

1. Instead of Psalm 142, Psalm 64 is read: “A song befits you, O God, in Zion...”.

2. The litany “Let us pray to the Lord in peace” is supplemented with special New Year’s petitions:

“Let us pray to the Lord to graciously accept the present thanksgiving and prayer of us, His unworthy servants, into His heavenly altar and graciously have mercy on us”;

“For our prayers to be favorable and to forgive us and all His people all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that we committed in the past summer, let us pray to the Lord”;

“To bless the firstfruits and passing of this summer with the grace of His love for mankind, and to grant us times of peace, good air and sinless life in health with contentment, let us pray to the Lord”;

“Let us pray to the Lord to turn away from us all His wrath, which is righteously brought upon us by sin for our sakes”;

“Let us pray to the Lord to drive away from us all stifling passions and corrupt customs, and to plant His Divine fear in our hearts, so that we may fulfill His commandments”;

“Let us pray to the Lord to renew the right spirit in our wombs and strengthen us in the Orthodox faith and hasten to do good deeds and fulfill all His commandments”;

“Let us pray to the Lord to deliver His Holy Church and all of us from all sorrow, misfortune, anger and need and from all enemies, visible and invisible, with health, long life and peace and His angels with the militia of His faithful.”

3. The rite of prayer for the New Year does not contain a canon.

4. Before the Gospel the Apostle is read: concept 282 from the First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to Timothy (1 Tim. 2; 1-15). Then the priest reads the 13th conception of the Gospel of Luke (Luke 4; 16-22).

5. The litany “Rtsem Vsi...” is supplemented with the following New Year’s petitions:

“Giving thanks with fear and trembling, as a servant of Thy mercy, our Savior and Master, Lord, for Thy good deeds, which Thou hast poured out abundantly on Thy servants, and we fall down and offer praise to Thee, as to God, and cry out with emotion: deliver the servants from all troubles Yours and always, as the Merciful, fulfill the good desires of all of us, we diligently pray to You, hear and have mercy”;

“To bless the crown of the coming summer with Your goodness and to quench in us all enmity, discord and internecine strife, to give us peace, firm and unfeigned love, a decent structure and a virtuous life, we pray to You, All-Good Lord, hear and have mercy”;

“Oh, the countless iniquities and our evil deeds that happened in the past summer will not be remembered, and will not reward us according to our deeds, but will remember us in mercy and generosity, we pray to You, Merciful Lord, hear and have mercy”;

“For the good season of the rains, the early and the late, the fruitful dew, the measured and beneficial winds, and the warmth of the sun to shine, we pray to You, O All-Bountiful Lord, hear and have mercy”;

“To remember Your Holy Church and strengthen, establish, resolve and pacify and unharm the gates of hell and all the slander of visible and invisible enemies invincible forever, we pray to You, Almighty Master, hear and have mercy”;

“For us to be delivered in this coming summer and all the days of our lives from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, hail, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine armies and all kinds of deadly wounds, sorrow and need, we pray to You, O Merciful One.” Lord, hear and have mercy.”

6. The priest reads a prayer adapted to the subject of prayer singing:

“Sovereign Lord our God, Source of life and immortality, all creatures, visible and invisible, to the Creator, who set times and seasons in Your power and governs all things by Your wise and all-good Providence! We give thanks for Your mercies, even as You surprised us in the past time of our lives. We pray to You, all-generous Lord, bless the crown of the coming summer with Your goodness. Grant Thy goodness from above to all Thy people, health, salvation and good haste in everything. Deliver Thy Holy Church, this city and all cities and countries from every evil situation, grant them peace and tranquility. To You, the Beginningless Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, Your All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, in the One Being glorified God, always bring thanksgiving and glorify Your Most Holy Name and make it worthy.”

The New Year symbolizes renewal and the onset of a new period, so many people place great hopes on it. It is believed that the energy of this day is enormous, and every person can turn to the Higher powers with their problem or desire in prayer requests and receive help.

Prayer on New Year's Day - when to read?

Petitions sent on December 31 have special depth and power, so the chance of realizing what you want increases significantly. This day is not only associated with the change of the annual cycle, but also with the eternal renewal and rebirth of everything on earth. Many people are interested in when the prayer is read on New Year’s Day, so the best time is considered to be the period after sunset and before four o’clock in the morning.

On this day, there is an increased surge in people's hopes, as many expect a miracle, and this can happen both consciously and unconsciously. This helps create a powerful energy charge, which increases the chances of achieving your cherished desires. Prayers can be read throughout New Year's holidays, that is, a week before the New Year and a week after. The prayer for the New Year, read closer to midnight, is considered the most powerful and effective.

Prayer before the New Year

The time before the New Year holidays is considered unique and filled with powerful energy. It is important not to miss it in order to take advantage of the chance and turn to Higher powers to improve the quality of life. It is difficult to meet a person who would not like more luck, love, health and other benefits to be present in his life. There is a universal prayer on New Year's Eve, which is best read after sunset.

What prayers should you read for the New Year?

A huge number of people consider the New Year to be something Starting point to change your life in better side or even start with clean slate. The energy of this holiday can ignite the fire of hope in a person and help to realize it. A festive night is the perfect time to say goodbye to existing problems and start moving towards a wonderful future. The prayer that is read on New Year has enormous power, capable of implementing cherished wish, improve health, attract cash flow and other half.

Any prayer text read at this time will certainly be heard. Great importance in achieving success has an unshakable belief in positive result. In addition, it is recommended not to tell anyone about reading prayers for the New Year. Another important point- turn to the Higher powers in complete solitude, so that nothing distracts or knocks down your energy.

New Year's prayer for health

The most valuable thing in life for a person is health, which is why many ask the Higher Powers for it. Sincere prayers can work miracles, helping people cope with various ailments. Read sacred texts You can not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones who are far away. The New Year's prayer for health can be read independently, or it can also be ordered at church, which will increase the chance of recovery. The most revered prayer is considered to be the prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which helps with physical and mental ailments.

New Year's prayer for wealth

Another common desire among different people is financial well-being. You cannot ask for unexpected enrichment, which should fall on your head, since prayer is New Year's Eve, aimed at helping in matters that bring money. Another important point to consider in order to achieve success is that you need to think about money not as a goal, but as a means to a simpler life.

New Year's prayer for good luck

Sometimes luck is simply not enough to achieve certain heights in different areas of life, and the New Year holidays are the ideal time to ask for it from a Higher Power. In the last hours of the passing year, it is recommended to let go of all grievances in your soul in the late afternoon and forgive your enemies, wishing them good luck. Be sure to thank God for the year you have lived, and then ask him for good luck for the future. First, the “Our Father” is said, and then the New Year’s prayer for happiness. After this, you can do your normal household chores.

New Year's prayer for marriage

Many representatives of the fair half of humanity make a wish on New Year's Eve for a happy marriage. There are many different rituals, which help single girls meet a worthy man and hear a marriage proposal. It is believed that prayer on New Year's Day will make the family happy and strong. The best time to turn to the Higher Powers is the period from eight in the evening on December 31 to four in the morning on January 1. To carry out the ceremony, you must first purchase a church candle. Alone, looking at the candle flame, say the prayer three times:

New Year's prayer for love

During the New Year holidays, a huge number of women make one wish - to meet their soulmate and get married. It is important to understand that the prayer read on New Year’s Day to attract love has nothing to do with a love spell, since it does not affect a person’s emotional state, does not affect health, but at the same time creates a feeling of confidence in one’s own attractiveness and simplifies the search for a lover.

New Year's prayer for love should be said from pure heart and without bad intentions. You should not ask for the love of a specific person, since perhaps he does not experience mutual feelings and is not a soul mate sent by God. If you do not follow these rules, then the Higher powers can punish you with prolonged loneliness. Before or after the New Year, take a candle and retire. Imagine yourself happy and next to your loved one, and then read the prayer.

There is another prayer that is suitable for people who have already for a long time suffer from loneliness. It is necessary to relax in a calm environment and concentrate your energy on. Place your hands on the solar plexus and read the prayer three times, and the first time you need to do this in full voice, then in a half whisper and last time About myself.

New Year's prayer for the fulfillment of a wish

If you conduct a survey among different people about what time is considered the best time to make a wish, then the popular answer will be New Year. For dreams to become reality, unshakable faith in final result and compliance with all rules. Eat strong prayer for the New Year, which will help you realize your plans, and it sounds like this:

The prayer for the New Year is read for a reason, but on a special cake of “happiness”, which must be baked on the fifth of January. For it you should prepare three handfuls of rye flour and holy water. Mix the ingredients and while kneading the dough, read the above prayer three times. Form and bake a cake, make the sign of the cross and eat it, saying these words: “Lord, bless the servant of God (name), show your mercy and fulfill (name your desire). Amen".

Prayer to the Guardian Angel for the New Year

It is generally accepted that at baptism each person receives an invisible helper - a guardian angel, who is always nearby, protects from problems and instructs. the right way. As a celestial being, he is considered a messenger of God whose purpose is to lead man to faith and happy life. The best prayer for the New Year will be addressed to the guardian angel to ask him for help and support throughout the next year.

November 30, 1917 at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, at a meeting of the Department on Divine Services, Preaching and the Temple, the following provisions were adopted (see “Theological Works,” collection 34, pp. 334–335):

“Introducing the service of “the beginning of the indictment, that is, the new summer” into the service on January 1 is highly desirable... A significant part of this service can be combined with the subsequent New Year’s prayer singing. In this case, the prayer singing for the New Year existing in Russian liturgical practice should be reworked into the rite of a statutory prayer service with a canon...”

Structure of the New Year's prayer service.

Initial whoop Blessed is the Kingdom, after the usual opening prayers - Come, let us worship, and Psalm 64 is read.

The deacon pronounces the great litany “Let us pray to the Lord in peace,” supplemented by petitions from the existing rite of the New Year’s prayer service.

God the Lord is sung with verses and a troparion of indictment.

The 50th Psalm is read.

The canon “for the new summer” is read (from the service on September 1), with the refrains: Merciful Lord, hear the prayer of Your servants who pray to You.

Prokeimenon, voice 4: Great is our Lord, and great is His strength, and His understanding is without number. Verse: Praise the Lord, for the psalm is good.

The Gospel is read - Luke, beginning. 13.

We sing according to the 9th song of the canon Worthy to eat.

Chorus: Amen. Heavenly King, / Comforter, Soul of truth, / Who is everywhere / and fulfills everything, / Treasure of good things / and Giver of life, / come and dwell in us, / and cleanse us from all filth, / and save, O Good One, our souls.

Peaceful Litany

- O mercifully give thanks today, and accept the prayer of us unworthy servants into His heavenly altar, and graciously have mercy on us, let us pray to the Lord.

- Let us pray to the Lord for the auspiciousness of our prayers, and to forgive us and all His people all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that we committed in the past summer.

- For the hedgehog to bless the firstfruits and the passage of this summer, with the grace of His love for mankind: the times are peaceful, the air is blissful, and grant us sinless health with contentment, let us pray to the Lord.

- Let us pray to the Lord for the hedgehog to turn away from us all His anger, which is righteously brought upon us for our sake.

- For the hedgehog to drive away from us all soul-crushing passions and corrupt customs: to plant His divine fear in our hearts, so that we may fulfill His commandments, let us pray to the Lord.

- Let us pray to the Lord to renew the right spirit in our wombs, and strengthen us in the Orthodox faith, and hasten to do good deeds and fulfill all His commandments.

- Let us pray to the Lord for the overthrow of all heresies and apostasies, and to plant orthodoxy and piety everywhere, and to turn away all those who apostate from the right faith to the knowledge of their truth, and to unite them with the saints of our Orthodox Church.

Gospel of Luke: At that time Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and entered the synagogue, as was His custom, on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. He was given the book of the prophet Isaiah; and He opened the book and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; For He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” And, closing the book and giving it to the servant, he sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them: Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. And everyone witnessed this to Him, and marveled at the words of grace that came from His mouth ()

The Great Litany

- Giving thanks with fear and trembling, as servants of indecency, to Your compassion, our Savior and Master, Lord, for Your blessings, which You have poured out abundantly on Your servants, and we fall down and bring praise to You as to God, and cry out with emotion: deliver us from all troubles Thy servants, and always as merciful, fulfill the good desires of all of us, we diligently pray to Thee, hear and have mercy.

- O God, bless the crown of the coming summer with your goodness, and quench in us all enmity, impatience and internecine warfare, give us peace, firm and unfeigned love, a decent structure and a virtuous life, we pray to You, all-merciful Lord, hear and have mercy.

- Oh, the countless iniquities and evil deeds of ours, which happened in the past summer, will not be remembered, and will not repay us according to our deeds: but remember us in mercy and generosity, we pray to You, merciful Lord, hear and have mercy.

- For the tribute, the rains are well-timed, early and late, the dew is fruitful, the winds are measured and well-dissolved, and the warmth of the sun shines, we pray to You, all-generous Lord, hear and have mercy.

- To remember Your holy church, and to strengthen, establish, expand, and pacify it, and to keep the gates of hell unharmed, and to keep all the slander of visible and invisible enemies invincible forever, we pray to You, Almighty Master, hear and have mercy.

- To eradicate and extinguish all blasphemous, atheistic wickedness, and to quickly destroy their kingdom and betray it to the faithful, we pray to You, Almighty Lord, hear and have mercy.

- O hedgehog deliver us in this coming summer, and all the days of our lives from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, hail, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners, and internecine armies, and all kinds of mortal wounds, sorrow and need, we pray to You O merciful Lord, hear and have mercy.

Prayer

Sovereign Lord our God, the source of life and immortality, the creator of all creation, visible and invisible, who set times and years in His power, and governed all things by Your wise and all-good providence. We give thanks for Your bounties, even as You surprised us in the past time of our lives, we pray to You, all-generous Lord! Bless the crown of the coming summer with Your Grace: save Your beloved servants... Multiply their days in unshakable health, and grant them success in all virtues. Grant Thy goodness from above and to all Thy people, health, salvation and good haste in everything. Deliver your holy city, this city and all cities and countries from every evil situation, grant peace and tranquility to them: to you, the beginningless Father with your only begotten Son, your all-holy and life-giving Spirit in one being, glorified God, always bring thanksgiving, and the most holy your name chant and make you worthy.

Caravaggio had a lot of followers. And enemies. It's difficult to estimate who has more. Some copied and used his innovative methods.

Others sought to destroy him. And do everything so that his work is forever forgotten. They partially succeeded. Caravaggio was forgotten for three whole centuries.

But historical justice has triumphed. In the 20th century, the world realized his genius. As art critic Roberto Longhi said, “without Caravaggio there would have been no Ribera, or . And Delacroix would have written differently.”

His life is like an adventure novel. With a sad ending. In 1610, at the age of 39, Caravaggio disappeared without a trace. Did he die of malaria, as his contemporaries claimed? Or was he killed?

Now let's try to figure out how Caravaggio was able to attract so many followers. Make so many enemies. And what led to his death.

1. The famous tenebroso by Caravaggio.

Caravaggio is very recognizable by his tenebroso style. This is when there is complete darkness in the background. And figures and objects are illuminated by a single dim light source. This light seems to fashion out of the darkness very three-dimensional image. Effective. Emotionally. Dramatically.
. 1602 National Gallery Ireland, Dublin. Wga.hu

Some artists criticized Tenebroso. Calling Caravaggio’s painting “basement”. Others, on the contrary, borrowed it. Moreover, they literally made it a basement. And they opened their workshops in real basements with one light source.
Murillo. Little beggar. 1650 Artchive.ru

2. Caravaggio's extraordinary realism

From the very beginning, Caravaggio gravitated toward realism. He did not even want to idealize the gods. His famous “Bacchus” is depicted with dirt under his nails. And the fruits are spoiled by caterpillars. No idealization. And special divinity. More like a model pretending to be God.

Caravaggio. Bacchus. 1598 Uffizi Gallery, Florence. wga.hu

Caravaggio also depicts biblical stories as believably as possible. Look at his painting “The Unbelief of St. Thomas.” The master shows this plot very realistically. Without avoiding even the most unpleasant details. Saint Thomas penetrates Christ's wound with his finger. Not believing in his resurrection.

No symbolism. Everything is very literal.
Caravaggio. Unbelief of the Apostle Thomas. 1601-1602 Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam, Germany. Wikimedia.commons.com

3. Caravaggio's paintings were often rejected by customers

Caravaggio found models for his paintings among street beggars and prostitutes. And he transferred many of their features onto canvas. Dirty heels, receding hairlines, deep décolletés. It turned out that Caravaggio was going against the Edict of Pictures. This law prohibited giving the faces of saints the features of ordinary people.

Therefore, it is not surprising that church ministers often did not like his work. After all, the faces on the canvases could be recognized by parishioners. And there it’s not far from the exclamations of “Whore in the temple!”

Thus, his painting “Madonna with the Snake” hung in St. Peter’s Basilica for only two days. Exactly because of this reason. His beloved Lena posed for Caravaggio. She lived in the Poor Court in Rome. It was a quarter of prostitutes and bandits. Perhaps she was an ordinary woman. But because of her place of residence, she was a priori classified as a lady of easy virtue.
Caravaggio. Madonna with a snake. 1605-1606 Galleria Borghese, Rome

They also abandoned the “Assumption of St. Mary.” This painting was commissioned for the church of Santa Maria della Scala. However, the customers were extremely outraged by the resulting work.

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Other artists depicted Saint Mary as more likely to be asleep at the moment of her death. Or joyfully ascending to her son in heaven. As, for example, in the painting by Caracci, a contemporary of Caravaggio.

At Caravaggio they saw the dead Mary. For real. Her body was swollen. The skin is extremely pale. Barefoot, she lies surrounded by the apostles. They are grieving their loss. No glorious ascension. Only grief and sadness.

4. Caravaggio was an aggressive and hot-tempered man

Caravaggio was very hot-tempered and cocky. With a sword at his advantage, he could wander around the taverns for weeks. It was easy to hurt his ego. In this case, a plate of food was thrown at the innkeeper. Or the sword was drawn. So Caravaggio’s contemporaries understood that this genius had very little chance of living a long life.

His patrons and friends also wondered how such aggressive person managed to write true love and tenderness. As, for example, in the painting “Rest on the Flight to Egypt.” Caravaggio. Rest on the way to Egypt. Fragment. 1598 Gallery of Doria Pamphili, Rome. Wga.hu

Although, of course, dark, tragic subjects predominate in his works. His masterpiece “The Beheading of John the Baptist” is considered especially sinister and bloodthirsty. Those who are particularly sensitive should not watch it (or read the description).
Caravaggio. The beheading of John the Baptist. 1608 St. John's Cathedral, Malta. Wikipedia.ru

Most of the picture is in darkness. A central figure compositions - executioner. He had just cut the saint's throat. And he had already prepared a dagger to cut off his head. Only Salome is scarier than him. She so calmly places a copper dish for the head of the executed man! That the blood just runs cold.

The very moment of the murder is depicted. This could only be written by someone who himself looked into the eyes of the murdered man.

Yes, Caravaggio was a murderer. But not calculating. In the heat of another fight after a verbal altercation, he killed a man. Ranuccio Tomassoni. Which I later regretted very much. This is obvious from one of his latest works. Based on the painting “David with the Head of Goliath.” Caravaggio. David with the head of Goliath. 1609-1610 Galleria Borghese, Rome. Artchive.ru

No one has ever portrayed David like this before. The young man looks contritely and with sadness in his eyes at the head of the defeated enemy. No triumph. No pride in yourself.

There is a version that this is a double self-portrait of Caravaggio. In the image of David there is the bright side of his soul. In the image of Goliath - dark. This picture is a judgment on oneself. For murder. For taking the life of another person.

5. The mystery of Caravaggio’s death is still not solved

For the murder, Caravaggio was sentenced to death penalty. He fled from Rome. But this was already the beginning of the end. His life inevitably went downhill.

True, for some time there was a glimmer of hope for salvation. When Caravaggio came to Malta to join the crusading knights. He wrote several masterpieces here. Including for the Maltese Cathedral. He was knighted. Now there was a much greater chance of obtaining a pardon from the Pope.

But again something went wrong. Another fight. Jail. Flight to Sicily.

Here is the official version of the artist’s death. While still in Malta, Caravaggio received a written pardon from Rome. In Sicily he boards a ship. To return to the Eternal City. But the ship's captain dropped him off halfway in one of the ports. Allegedly suspecting him of being a criminal. After which the artist was forced to walk to another city, Porto Ercole.

The path ran through marshy areas. There he contracted malaria. He was found unconscious by the landowner. He picked the artist. But he soon died. His body was thrown into the sea so as not to spread the infection. Caravaggio. Ecstasy of Saint Magdalene. 1610. Private collection. One of the last works of the master. Perhaps it was painted in parallel with the painting “David with the Head of Goliath.”

This version is set out in a letter from this landowner to one of the Roman cardinals. Almost everything in this story seems far-fetched. No one, except the owner of those lands, admitted that they saw the artist alive or dead.

And most importantly, why did the captain put Caravaggio ashore? After all, the passenger paid half of the fare upon arrival.

And why did Caravaggio go to Porto Ercole when he needed to get to Rome? Moreover, Rome was much closer, but in the other direction. Caravaggio didn’t mix up the roads!

In 2010, in the town of Porto Ercole, where Caravaggio was supposedly heading, his remains were found. Many art historians doubt the authenticity of the find. The benefit for the town itself is too obvious. After all, the find was made exactly for the 400th anniversary of the artist’s death. Now Caravaggio has a grave and even a park around it. Not a bad attraction for tourists.

My version…

I think he was killed back in Sicily. Or he was overtaken by members of the Ranuccio clan. After all, blood feud was almost commonplace in those days. Or the Knights of Malta, angry at Caravaggio.

Whoever the killers were, they clearly disposed of the body. And they came up with the story of “return to Rome.” In order to direct those who want to investigate this matter down the wrong path.

It is possible that Caravaggio himself surrendered to his pursuers at some point. Because I'm tired of the chase. Because he was tormented by pangs of conscience (judging by the picture). Because his beloved Lena was no longer waiting for him in Rome (shortly before her death, he learned that she had died of consumption).

Well, we can only guess. After 400 years, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to find the truth.

Read about the master’s main works in the articles

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The iconography of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is striking in its complexity and diversity. Such a rich tradition has developed due to the special attitude towards this event: the Dormition is perhaps the most revered of the Mother of God feasts and one of the most important in the system of Christian liturgy as a whole.

Another reason can be considered the rich corpus of sources that was used in art. As is known, an artist who takes on the theme of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary can rely only on apocryphal literature or on the texts of great saints, which in content are also similar to the apocrypha. But there is so much of this material, and it presents events so vividly and in detail that the images of the texts literally “ask” to be depicted in paint.

The earliest examples of Assumption iconography date back to the 10th century (ivory plaques from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), although the holiday was finally established in the East in the 6th and in the West in the 7th centuries.

The main apocryphal sources of images date back to the 4th–5th centuries (“On the Exodus of the Virgin Mary” by Pseudo-Melito of Sardinia, 4th century, “The Tale of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary” by Pseudo-John the Theologian, 5th century, “The Word of John the Archbishop of Thessalonica” by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, V century). But the main text that became the basis of the iconographic tradition should still be considered the “Second Homily on the Dormition of the Mother of God” by St. John of Damascus (8th century). At different times, both in the East and in Western art emphasis was placed on certain fragments of this description.

“During Her glorious Dormition, all the holy apostles, who were scattered throughout the universe for the salvation of nations, were instantly gathered through the air to Jerusalem, and when they were nearby, a vision of angels appeared to them and Divine singing began to be heard higher powers. So with Divine and heavenly glory Holy Mother of God She gave up her holy soul into the hands of God in some indescribable way.

Her divinely received body, carried out and buried with angelic and apostolic singing, was laid in a tomb in Gethsemane. And at this place, continuous angelic singing continued for three days. When, after three days, the angelic singing stopped, the apostles opened the tomb, because one of them, who was absent and arrived after the third day, wished to venerate the body receiving God. But they could not find Her all-sung body, so, having found only the funeral robes lying there and being filled with the indescribable fragrance emanating from them, they closed the coffin.

Amazed by the miracle of the sacrament, the apostles could only think that God the Word and Lord of glory, who deigned to be incarnated according to hypostasis and become human from Her and be born according to the flesh, and after the Nativity, preserving Her virginity unharmed, Himself deigned, even after the departure of the Mother of God, to honor Her pure and unblemished body with incorruption and by moving before the common resurrection for all.”

In accordance with the words of Saint John of Damascus, the apostles were always depicted at the bed of the Virgin Mary. In the 11th century, the so-called “cloud type” of the Assumption icon appeared, in which, in addition to the scene of the apostles’ farewell to Mary at Her bed, the upper part of the composition shows how angels carry them across the sky to the place of the Assumption. According to Tradition, Thomas was not among them, and the apostles Andrew, Philip and Judas Thaddeus, who had already died by that time, were miraculously resurrected at the time of farewell to the mother of their Teacher. The 13th century icon from the Desyatinny Monastery in Novgorod (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) belongs to this type, remarkable for its artistic qualities.

The central place in the Orthodox iconography of the Assumption belongs to the image of Christ. His figure is usually located along the axis of symmetry, forming, in combination with the figure of Mary reclining on the bed, a cruciform composition. In His arms He holds a swaddled baby, personifying the immaculate soul of Mary.

IN ancient Russian monuments XVI-XVII centuries (as, for example, on a 16th-century Novgorod icon from the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg) Jesus can only hold the baby in his left hand, and bless Mary with his right. At the beginning of the 18th century, Saint Demetrius of Rostov, in his sermon “The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,” gave a description miraculous phenomenon Christ, clearly guided by more ancient apocrypha:

« Suddenly, the indescribable light of Divine glory shone in the upper room, darkening the lamps. Those to whom this vision was revealed were horrified. They saw that the roof of the upper room was open and the glory of the Lord was descending from heaven. The King of glory Christ himself with tens of angels and archangels, with all heavenly powers, with the holy forefathers and prophets who once foretold about Holy Virgin, and with everyone righteous souls was approaching His Most Pure Mother.”

The “unspeakable light of Divine glory” in painting is personified by the mandorla (Latin for “almond”) - the almond-shaped frame of the figure of Christ. It is interesting that on the icons of the Pskov school of the 14th–15th centuries (one of them is represented in the collection Tretyakov Gallery) mandorla was often painted in dark blue and sometimes black colors. We see the same thing in Theophan the Greek in the Assumption scene on back side icons “Our Lady of the Don” (Grey Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow).

The masters sought to depict light, according to the teachings of hesychasm, as “blessed darkness,” i.e. dark spot how the heavenly light appears to human imperfect earthly vision. This gave the whole image not only additional spiritual meaning, but also a picturesque expression of color, drama, which cannot be avoided when depicting a person’s departure from earthly life - even if in spiritually This is not death, but entry into true life.

The Orthodox iconography of the Dormition constantly became more complex and was supplemented with new characters and details. So, from the end of the 11th century, in addition to the apostles, four bishops began to be shown at the bed of the Virgin Mary, who, according to legend, were also present at the death of Mary: the Apostle James Alpheus, Hierotheus, Timothy of Ephesus and Dionysius the Areopagite. Later (mainly in Rus') they were joined by the wives of Jerusalem, mourning the separation from the Mother of God. Typical symbolic details include:

• The red shoes at Mary’s bed (in addition to the shoes already worn by Her) are a symbol of the end of Her earthly journey.
• A candle burning in front of Her bed. According to one of the apocryphal stories, Mary herself asked to light a candle in the room as a sign of Her prayer to the Son, which She performed before last minute. The candle is at the same time a symbol of Christ, His sacrifice and hidden presence.
• A Greek jug-stamnos with a bowl-stand placed instead of a candle. This is a symbol taken from Byzantine hymnography, where Mary is often compared to a stamnos filled with manna from heaven and kept in the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

Since the 15th century in Russian icons foreground An image appeared of the cutting off of the hands of the Jew Athos. According to one legend, during the solemn transfer of Mary’s body for burial in Gethsemane, Athos, who did not recognize Christ, wanted to overturn the coffin to the ground from the hands of the apostles. But an angel miraculously appeared with a sword and cut off his hands (Athonia, of course, immediately repented and converted).

The introduction of this plot shows that in the late Russian Middle Ages the iconography of the Assumption was strongly influenced by the tradition of didactic icons, acquiring additional symbols and storylines, moralizing, liturgical and eschatological content.

Each character and object received a complex theological interpretation that connected the scene of the Assumption with the Eucharistic mystery. Thus, the bed was associated with the altar throne, the figures of the apostles with the moment of communion at the Last Supper, the four bishops recalled the rite of communion for the clergy in the liturgy, and the angels in the upper part of the icon field were often depicted with covered hands, like deacons.

Eschatological dimension of the Dormition in Orthodox tradition also meant a lot. In the 13th century, in Serbian churches of the Russian school, the Assumption began to be placed on the western wall instead of a stage Last Judgment, and the compositions were gigantic and occupied the entire plane of the wall. Particularly famous is the fresco in the church of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Sopočany (1265), in which the action takes place against the backdrop of powerful architectural scenes with arches and columns.

Fresco in the Church of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Sopočany

No less large-scale and very bright in color is the fresco of the Greek masters Michael and Eutyches from the Church of the Virgin Mary Perivelept in Ohrid (Macedonia), where perhaps the largest number of figures is shown. In the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the fresco “Assumption” is placed above the altar niche-apse, which also gives it an eschatological connotation.

Finally, in the 17th century, a composition of the Dormition with stamps appeared, arranged like a hagiographic icon. In the marks around main stage depicts the so-called “Second Annunciation” - the repeated appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, informing her of the imminent meeting with her Son - details of the arrival of the apostles from different ends of the earth, their last conversation and farewell to Mary, the funeral procession with the cutting off of the hands of Athos.

There may also be a scene of the appearance of Mary in glory to the Apostle Thomas, who was not at Her Assumption. As a sign of consolation, Mary gives him her belt - a separate icon can be painted on this topic. In such works, much attention is paid to the symbolism of Paradise. Thus, on the 1658 icon from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, in the middle, next to the apostles and weeping wives, there are both the prudent thief and the forefathers of the Old Testament - thus, the action seems to take place simultaneously in heaven and on earth.

European Catholic art has created an equally rich tradition of depicting the Assumption. To understand it accurately, it is necessary to take into account one theological nuance: in Catholicism, the Assumption is understood primarily as triumphant ascent Mary to heaven with soul and body, that very “incorruption and transference before the common resurrection for all,” about which St. John of Damascus wrote.

Mary is seen as the first person whose experience of entering eternal life will be repeated by all the righteous at the resurrection of the flesh at the second coming of Christ. The dogma of the bodily ascension of Mary was proclaimed only in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, but spiritual ideas about this have developed in the church tradition for centuries and are very clearly visible in works of art. That is why the Assumption scene itself rarely exists alone; it is combined with the image of either the Ascension or the Coronation of Mary - as in the Gothic cathedrals of France or the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (although in easel art the Assumption in pure form also exists).

In the depiction of the Assumption, along with purely Byzantine iconography (especially popular in Italy XIII century), there are also very original versions of our own. In a relief from the cathedral in Strasbourg (1230), Jesus, in Byzantine style, holds a baby in his left hand and blesses Mary with his right, but in the foreground is a weeping Magdalene. Her presence brings the Assumption closer to the iconography of the Entombment and creates a subtle, but very important for Western spirituality, nuance: through specific scenes from the life of Mary, the life, death and Resurrection of Christ is visible.

On the portal of the Coronation of Mary in the cathedral Notre Dame of Paris Jesus in the Assumption scene is shown stretching out his hands to the reclining Mary, as if He wants to take Her body from the bed. This is a clear allusion to Her bodily ascension, especially since the Coronation scene follows a little higher. Even more unusual is the image on the relief of Veit Stoss from the altar of St. Mary's Church in Krakow (1477–1489). Mary, surrounded by the apostles, is represented not lying down, but kneeling in prayer, as if there was no physical death between Her earthly life and heavenly triumph.

The iconography of the Dormition as the bodily ascension of Mary experienced its real flourishing in easel painting Renaissance era. At this time, a stable composition is developed, divided into two zones, earthly and heavenly. On earth, the apostles, as a rule, stand in front of open coffin while the ascending Mary is visible in heaven, or Her coronation is already taking place.

There are a lot of paintings of this kind, and the most grandiose in scale and artistic content– Assunta by Titian (1518, Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice). This is an altar composition in which the figure of the ascending Mary, in its spiritual and pictorial dynamics, is comparable to another great altar image - “ Sistine Madonna» Raphael.

No less expressive are the apostles, who react violently to the vision of the Mother of God departing into heaven. They stand in different angles and raise their arms. Their movements and surprised faces show both strong emotions and a special inner insight, a mystical impulse of the spirit, not inferior in its power to the famous spiritual works of the Baroque era.

In the 16th century, iconography, combining in one pictorial field the Assumption and the heavenly triumph of Mary, penetrates... into Rus'. In fact, such a line of thought has never been alien to Orthodox ideas. Even Saint Andrew of Crete, describing the Dormition, mentioned that

“The door of the heavenly gates has risen to receive in royal majesty Heavenly Kingdom The Heavenly Door of God. In a white robe, receive Her, angels! Praise, heavens!...Ride, earth, proclaim the glory of the Virgin, the miracles of burial, how She was transferred, so that the empty tomb may be honored.”(“Word on the Day of the Dormition of the Mother of God”).

But the urgent need to depict the Ascension as a continuation of the Assumption scene arose in Orthodox Rus' and in the Catholic West almost simultaneously. As a result, in Russian icon painting of the late 15th–16th centuries, many first-class large-scale icons appear, arranged in the same way as Titian’s Assunta. Among them I would like to highlight the icon of 1479 from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. It shows the figure of Mary ascending to heaven in a mandorla with unusual design: on her inside the network of rays is clearly visible. This allows us to talk about a subtle allusion to the apocalyptic image of the “Woman clothed with the sun” (Rev. 12: 1). Thus arises one of the earliest examples of iconography, which was to play a huge role in European Christian art late Renaissance and baroque.

In Europe, “The Woman Clothed with the Sun” will become the main source of iconography Immaculate Conception. But in the Orthodox world there was also a need for this image, although its theological context is somewhat different. Let us also add that it was the Theotokos theme that in the 16th–17th centuries would become one of the main “channels” through which a powerful wave of Western influences would flow into Russian icon painting.

Let us return again to the Catholic tradition of depicting the Assumption. During the Renaissance, another very important type of iconography appears, in which there is no mystical vision Christ, and the whole scene is presented as the farewell of the apostles to the already deceased Mary. This is a tragic scene of mourning, reminding us that, regardless of the strength of faith in the heavenly triumph of the Mother of God, the apostles cannot help but go through the suffering of physical separation from their dearly loved loved one.

IN best examples this type is attracted precisely by the human depth of their experiences, in which lies the great spiritual story about the sacred value of earthly emotional connections between people. I would like to recall two great examples. One of them is “The Assumption” by Andrea Mantegna (1462, Prado Gallery, Madrid). As in many other works

this master, there is a lot of tragic expression in it. Bright red spots - Mary's bed and the clothes of some of the apostles - perfectly allow one to feel the psychological nerve of the event, the apostles are deeply grieving, some of them are even screaming. The feeling of suffering is also enhanced by the appearance of Mary, whom the artist, contrary to all traditions, made no longer young. Only the landscape in the large window, painted in gray-blue and soft ocher tones, brings a soothing feeling of peace and enlightenment.

An undisputed masterpiece of the iconography of the Assumption-Lamentation is the painting by Caravaggio (1606, Louvre). Its customers, the clergy of the Roman temple of Santa Maria dela Scala, shocked by the non-standard solution to the topic, refused to take the painting to the temple. It was saved from complete disappearance by Peter Paul Rubens, who persuaded his patron, the Duke of Mantua Gonzago, to buy it. Subsequently, the descendants of the Duke, solving their financial problems, sold it to France.

The main “scandalous element” of the work turned out to be the image of Mary, which was denied something without which it cannot be imagined at all - aesthetic perfection. During the author’s lifetime, a rumor was even spread that Caravaggio, who worked only from life, dared to write Mother of God from a drowned prostitute found on the banks of the Tiber in the slums. There is no documentary evidence of this fact, but even if this is not true, the viewer still has something to be afraid of today.

Maria is a woman of the peasant type, with a puffy face and a swollen belly (really looking like a drowned woman), rough heels and Caravaggio’s main “know-how” - dirty fingernails. Having seen this, it is easy to immediately throw a stone of condemnation at the artist, especially since Caravaggio, due to his lifestyle, clearly did not aspire to canonization.

But, despite everything human weaknesses, this master sincerely loved Maria. And in the context of all the paintings dedicated to Her, we see that in the scene of the Assumption, he gave his Mary to become like the Son in the mystery of Golgotha. She is exhausted and outwardly ugly, like He is the Servant of God, described by the prophet Isaiah: “How many were amazed when they looked at You - His face was so disfigured more than any man... There is no form or greatness in Him” (Isa. 52: 14 - 53: 2). Like Him, She goes through the horror of death and through “ dark night spirit,” as evidenced by the “dark manner” chosen by the artist.

And with all the flashy audacity of this approach, the picture feels great reverence for the mystery of Her departure - this feeling is created by the deep sorrow of the apostles and the weeping Magdalene. They sob and, like children, rub their eyes with their fists. They look at Her with great love - for them this woman, devoid of “look and grandeur,” is more precious and beautiful than anyone in the world.

Through Her daring “non-canonicality” the memory of Her Son’s torment on the cross bursts into our lives, and this is truly shocking and touching. Despite all the external non-standardity, the picture turns out to be deeply consistent with the spiritual tradition in which the author was raised, and in fact is a deeply religious work.