A crossroads of the Orthodox World (2) [O răscruce a Lumii Ortodoxe]

Known to many simply as the “Orthodox Monastery in Essex,” this marvellous place hides amazing treasures, among which is this huge icon in one of the two main dinning rooms. This unsusual representation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Apostles can also be found above the iconostasis of the great church of the monastery.

I doubt that any Orthodox believer would not find it fascinating. Or maybe this icon could speak better than words even to those with a mere onlooker’s (intelectual/theoretical) interest in Orthodoxy (as sinful I have once been), which appear to be quite a few in Romania. At least this is easier to bear in the UK, a much clearer-cut distinction between believers and unbelievers…

The beauty of this image (click on the picture or here for a larger version), and the vision of the artist (quite unlike many other depictions of the Mystical Supper) had taken hold of my mind ever since I first saw it, thus I was planning to share it online with people who may never be blessed with visiting this wonderful place in Tolleshunt Knights, a typically English village in Essex. And this Great Holy Week seemed to me the best opportunity to do so.

Moreover, the Lord has recently granted me another bliss – that of being offered a wise explanation of the image. The Apostles are all dressed in white, because their feet have just been washed. This symbolises their having taken the Baptism, therefore being cleansed even before the Eucharist (as the bread, and wine are still untouched in the middle of table).

Although our Lord washed the feet of all His 12 Apostles, one of them (Judas Iscariot) appears to have lost the purity of his garments (they seem rather greyish to me), as he’s sneaking out into the night…

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]