Easter & Lent Icons
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Imported from Russia
RESURRECTION ICON (with relic)
The "Harrowing of Hades" imagery used in this icon of the Resurrection is generally more common and prominent in Orthodox iconography than in the Western tradition. It is the traditional icon for Holy Saturday, and is used during the Paschal season and on Sundays throughout the year.
Jesus is shown vested in gold to symbolize his divine majesty, holding a cross and surrounded by a mandorla (body halo). He stands on the brazen gates of Hades (also called the "Doors of Death"), which are broken, illustrating the belief that by his death on the cross, Jesus trampled down death. He is holding Adam our forefather by the wrist and pulling him up out of Hades. This illustrates the theological teaching that mankind could not pull himself out of his ancestral sin; this can happen only by the work of God. Various righteous figures from the Old Testament are also depicted; at the bottom of the icon is Hades, a chasm of darkness with various pieces of broken locks and chains strewn about.
The stone relic is from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. 7" x 9-1/2"
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