Birth of Jesus Christ. Icon of the Nativity of Christ - description, meaning, what it helps with. Icon of the Nativity of Christ, meaning of what it helps with.
After a long winter fast, joyful days come for Orthodox Christians: gifts, family dinners, carols, and attendance at holiday services. This is one of the main holidays for Christians - Christmas. The icon, decorated with garlands of white flowers, can tell a lot about the mysterious meaning of that ancient day. It depicts all the main participants in the gospel events.
If for a person Christmas is just another day when you don't have to go to work, it might be worth delving into the essence of a long-familiar story. After all, this is not just a plot for a beautiful postcard with angels. It was not for nothing that the day when Christ was born became the countdown of a new era.
The exact date is hidden from people. January 25 was set arbitrarily by a certain mathematician monk who compiled the Julian calendar. Over time, astronomical “surpluses” accumulated, for two whole weeks. Therefore, the whole world at the end of the 16th century. switched to the more accurate Gregorian calendar. Russia accepted it only in 1918, and the Russian Orthodox Church still lives according to the Julian style.
Therefore, many may have the wrong impression that our country has its own Christmas. No, it falls on the same date, just according to a different calendar. According to a number of researchers, Jesus Christ could not have been born at the end of December, but everything happened in the spring, before the Jewish Passover. In principle, this is not decisive for the salvation of the soul, otherwise the Lord would have preserved the exact date.
In the first centuries of Christianity, people did not celebrate birthdays at all. For them, the most important day was the day of death - this is the date of a person’s birth into eternal life, the day of his union with the Creator. Therefore, the Nativity of the Savior was also not celebrated, or rather, it was combined with the Epiphany. Only years later it was decided to set a separate date for this important event. The holiday became widespread for Christians only in the 4th century; in Russia it began to be celebrated in the 10th century, after the baptism of Prince Vladimir.
Development of iconography
The first known images associated with Christmas are not about Christmas itself. Here in the center is a fulfilled prophecy. In the center of the composition is the Virgin Mary and Child, in front of them is a prophet pointing to a star. A more detailed description of the events of the Nativity of Christ on icons appears only in the 6th century.
- The Virgin Mary and Jesus lie in the cave.
- There are animals nearby - a donkey, an ox, sometimes sheep. According to legend, Mary was riding on a donkey. Joseph took the ox with him to get money to pay taxes (for this the family went on a journey). Allegorically, the donkey means perseverance, and the ox means hard work.
- A star shines above the cave. Usually depicted in a beam of light. The cave illuminated with light is a symbol of the fact that Christmas enlightened humanity, which was previously in darkness.
- There are scenes around that complement the overall picture: Joseph bowing in prayer, the wise men, angels, shepherds, the scene of the Baby’s bathing.
Using basic elements, masters create an image without going beyond the canonical interpretation. The Church developed the entire doctrine of the Incarnation after the 7th Ecumenical Council. Then the icon painters were able to fully express what had already been formulated in words. The canonical icon not only reminds of the holiday, it serves as a refutation of heresies (for example, Monophysitism).
The appearance of Christ in the flesh is the main event of human history. According to some philosophers, this is its main meaning, which is clearly expressed in the “Nativity of Christ” icon.
Why does the Mother of God look not at her Son, but to the side? She turns her gaze to the wise men who brought expensive gifts to the Lord. The pagans, who were the Magi, symbolize all of humanity. Anyone who wants to give their life to God will be greeted favorably. The scene showing the Baby bathing appeared later. It probably recalls the baptism of infants accepted in Orthodoxy.
Fresco by Andrey Rublev
Such a plot can also be found among the works of the icon painter A. Rublev. Under the master’s hand, even paints have become a means of expression - he creates space in such a way that it is filled with airy weightlessness, as if all of nature is throwing off the shackles of materiality.
After Christmas, the very meaning of human life changed. People became children of God in the full sense. The King of Heaven took upon himself a corruptible shell. Christ became the second Adam. The earth is no longer a vale of sorrow - after all, the Lord Himself settled on it, who then, with his death on the cross, will open the way to heaven. That's why Angels sing about peace on earth and kindness to people.
Rublev painted the icon of the Nativity of Christ while decorating the Annunciation Cathedral. Much later, they began to make it as an independent item and place it in churches and homes. The image is made in Byzantine traditions. They allow painters to depict several events that happened at different times on one canvas. After all, God has no time limits.
- The angels, who are usually in the upper corner of the composition, in this case worship God right next to the manger. They even show their readiness to accept him into their arms. Of course, the angels at that moment were invisible to the human eye.
- Researchers have different opinions about who is depicted on the Nativity icon next to the righteous Joseph. Some believe that this is a shepherd, some call it the devil, who is trying to sow doubt. However, Joseph's doubts were dispelled even before the journey began by an Angel who appeared to him in a dream. Most likely, this is just one of the shepherds who received an invitation to the newborn Savior.
How does the holy image help?
The richness of the characters in the icon of the Nativity of Christ should not be confusing - this is the image and holiday of the Lord. How does He help? Every believer should know firmly that God can do everything. This is the heavenly Father, the intercessor who gave His life for human sins. Looking at the image, the believer must mentally go all the way from the Bethlehem cave to Golgotha and, first of all, thank the Lord for the gift of eternal life. It was with Christmas that the restoration of relations between God and people began.
Every day you should confess your sins in personal prayer, asking that liberation from them be granted. The composition of the icon of the Nativity of Christ is built in such a way that one can appreciate the full scale of the event - it is truly universal. It’s not for nothing that the action takes place not only on earth, but an entire angelic army descends from heaven.
The story of the evangelists demonstrates that Christmas affected representatives of a wide variety of classes - kings, the top of the clergy, wise men from other countries, and simple shepherds. Even the animals were not left out. The entire depth of meaning of the feast of the Nativity of Christ is expressed in the icon; it helps to understand the measure of Divine love. This little defenseless man, lying in swaddling clothes, will, after a little time, become an atoning sacrifice.
But almighty God does not at all instill in us a feeling of guilt - He simply shows His love, waiting for conversion, repentance. Through Him you can find peace of mind and confidence in salvation. When spiritual affairs improve, a person will be able to restore order in his earthly life. May everyone be able to open their hearts to receive the Christ Child!
Glorification of the Nativity of Christ
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the Blessed and Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Troparion to the Nativity of Christ
Thy Nativity, Christ our God, rises up and is the worldly light of reason: in it, for serving the stars, studying with a star, I bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and I lead Thee from the heights of the East: Lord, glory to Thee.
Kontakion, tone 3
The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable; Angels and shepherds praise, while wolves travel with a star; For our sake, the Young Child, the Eternal God, was born.
What you need to know about the Nativity icon
Icon of the Nativity of Christ - description, meaning, what it helps with was last modified: July 8, 2017 by Bogolub
Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays. The icon dedicated to this event has incredible power and can help in any life difficulties.
The Nativity of Christ icon tells us about the wonderful events that happened many years ago. The holiday of Christmas has always been the most significant for Christians, because from the moment the Savior, the Son of God, was born, a new era began, and the Christian faith acquired a special meaning.
History of the Nativity of Christ icon
The birth of Jesus Christ completely turned the religious world upside down. From that moment on, the lives of many people changed significantly. It is believed that our Savior was born on January 7th. This version was put forward by a certain monk who was involved in the creation of the Julian calendar. When many countries decided to switch to counting days according to the Gregorian calendar, the holiday was officially celebrated on December 25, but the Orthodox Church continued to follow traditions, and therefore we still celebrate this event according to the old style.
It is believed that it was the famous icon painter Andrei Rublev who became the author of the amazing icon “The Nativity of Christ”. In 1960, the divine image was under threat and remained in the destroyed temple for a long time. The savior of the icon was the director of the Nizhny Novgorod Museum, who took it out and preserved it to this day.
Description of the icon
The image “Nativity of Christ” is made in green, yellow and white colors. Thanks to this color scheme, the image looks bright, but at the same time natural.
The central place in the icon is occupied by the Most Holy Theotokos, dressed in a red robe. She lies leaning on her hand, and behind her is the Baby. Thus, Andrei Rublev portrayed the Virgin Mary as the main character.
At the top, the author depicted a manger, which is located next to the bed of the Mother of God. In addition to the Mother of God and the Son of God, the icon also depicts other heroes of the Gospel scriptures. To the right of the Baby there are two Angels who glorify the newborn Jesus Christ. Below are two maids who were mentioned in the scene of bathing the Child.
The icon “Nativity of Christ” will be understandable not only to Orthodox believers, but also to all people who are familiar with the Gospel. In front of it, you can pray to the Saints and ask them for help in any hopeless situation.
Where is the icon of the Nativity of Christ located?
Anyone can purchase the “Nativity” icon. Carry it with you every day, and it will become your amulet. You also have the opportunity to see the divine image with your own eyes. This can be done in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, which is located on Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin.
What does an icon help with?
Despite the fact that on the “Nativity of Christ” icon you can see many characters, first of all it is a holiday of God, and as you know, the Heavenly King can do anything. You can turn to the Lord with emotional distress, serious illnesses and even incurable diseases.
Prayer in front of the icon will help you get rid of financial difficulties and unemployment, as well as problems that seem to have no solution.
Prayer before the icon of the Nativity of Christ
“Lord God, glorify the day when Your Birth happened! We, sinners, turn to You for help and ask to save us from the difficulties and problems of everyday life. Hear our prayers and help us find peace of mind, peace and harmony. Appear to us and help us, who are turning to You, the Great Savior. Amen".
Date of celebration of the image
The date of celebration of the icon falls on the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ. On this day you will be able to attend services and listen to divine liturgies. It is on January 7 that any sincere prayer request made by you will be heard.
The Nativity of Christ is primarily a religious holiday, and such an event cannot be imagined without prayer requests. For the Lord God to hear your request, turn to him using Christmas prayers. May your faith always be sincere, and don't forget to press the buttons and
06.01.2018 05:35
The icon “Christ Pantocrator” is the oldest image of Christ, which has miraculous power, heals and helps believers.
God, in Christ, appeared to us in an unprecedented and incomprehensible way. Pagan peoples could imagine a great God, a heavenly God, as if embodying everything great, majestic, and wondrous that a person can dream of on earth. But only God could reveal himself to man as He did at the Nativity of Christ: God became one of us. But not in glory, but in weakness; helpless and destitute; vulnerable and seemingly defeated; despicable for all who believe only in strength and earthly greatness. On this first night, when God became man, when the Most Living God dwelt in flesh among us on earth, He became familiar with the most severe human deprivation. No one took His Mother under their roof; everyone considered Him a stranger, everyone sent Him on a distant, endless path that stretched before wanderers without shelter and without greeting. And they went - and on this first night Christ communed with all those who, from century to century, pass through life both physically and spiritually discarded, despised, unwanted, excluded from human society. And there are countless such people in human history. Loneliness - the terrible, burning, murderous loneliness that devours the hearts of so many people, was the lot of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, Joseph the Betrothed and the newly born Christ. He was a stranger, unwanted, excluded and thrown out. This is the beginning of His path; and on this path He joined, as I said, to everyone who lives like this in our time, strangers among people who should be brothers for them; they are despicable, defeated - by meanness, cowardice and human malice. They are vulnerable because of their fragility, because of their defenselessness. Our business, Christians, is to see in them the image of the God whom we reverently honor today, and to accept them, as we would now accept Christ if He appeared before us destitute, vulnerable, helpless, despised, hated, persecuted.
This is how God appeared before us, because He wanted to become one of us, so that not a single person on earth would be ashamed of his God: as if God was so great, so far away that there was no approach to Him. He became one of us in our humiliation and in our deprivation; and He was not ashamed of us, “became like us all,” not only because of material, earthly, physical deprivation, not only because of spiritual abandonment by human love, but because He became related - through His love, through His understanding, through His forgiveness and mercy - He also became close to those whom others rejected because they were sinners. He did not come to the righteous, He came to love and seek sinners. He came so that not a single person who had lost respect for himself could think that God had lost respect for him, that God no longer saw in him someone worthy of His love. Christ became a Man so that all of us, all of us without a trace, including those who have lost all faith in themselves, would know that God believes in us, believes in us in our fall, believes in us when we have lost faith in each other and in himself, believes so much that he is not afraid to become one of us. God believes in us, God stands as the guardian of our human dignity. God is the keeper of our honor, and in order for us to believe it, to see it with our own eyes, our God becomes a destitute, helpless Man. Only those who believe in power and nothing else, only those who believe in their righteousness, will not find the way to Him until they repent, until they see that humility, love, pity, mercy are the law of life.
But in Christ not only did God appear to us with His love, faith in us, as the guardian of our dignity, as the guardian of our truth - He showed us the greatness of man. If God could essentially become Man, do we not understand how great man is? Don’t we understand: man is so great that God can become Man and man remains himself? And that the creation that God called into existence is so great that man can contain God within himself? And that matter, our flesh, our blood, our bone, all our matter, is capable of being God-bearing, uniting with the Divine and remaining itself? And appear to us in glory, greatness, which we do not see, but which God sees, for whose sake He created us and created everything?
Let us take a closer look at this image of the Incarnation: Christ showed us the humility and love of God, the faith of God in all creation, in us, sinners, fallen ones, and showed us at the same time how great we can be and how deep, bottomlessly deep the creation of the Lord is. With this faith we can live, we can become people to the full extent of Christ’s incarnation, and consider the world in which we live not only as dead material, but as something that is destined to ultimately become, as it were, the visible garment of the Divine, when God will become all in all.
What glory, what joy and hope! Let us sing with reverence, love and awe the Nativity of Christ; it is for us eternal life already on earth, and it is the glory of all creation in eternity in heaven. Amen!
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Nativity. 1970
The icon “Nativity of Christ” reveals to our eyes a unique and inimitable world of Gospel events. To be more precise, it depicts the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world - a great event in the history of mankind.
Many artists depicted the Nativity of Christ a thousand years before Andrei Rublev. In 330, Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. There is no doubt that an icon on this topic was placed there. But “The Nativity of Christ,” the icon of Andrei Rublev, was painted in a special way.
What does the icon say?
In the center, on a scarlet bed, the Mother of God reclines, leaning on her hand, her face is similar to the face of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The face of the Virgin Mary is thoughtful and shocked by what has happened, although she is not tired, because the child was born in a miraculous, painless manner. Nearby, in an animal feeder, lies a swaddled Baby, with animals standing above him - an ox and a donkey.
Rublev, by placing the animals with the Lord, thereby wanted not only to emphasize that there was no place for the Messiah in Bethlehem, but also to confirm the words of the prophet Isaiah. The ox symbolizes the Jewish people who were waiting for the Savior, and the donkey symbolizes the entire pagan world. These two worlds meet in the cave of Bethlehem, and it doesn’t matter the origin of a person, the main thing is that everyone comes to the Lord. Several more angels stand bowed next to the wonderful Baby.
Magi and angels
Further, Rublev’s icon “The Nativity of Christ” conveys to people another gospel event. In the uppermost corner are three wise men. In the East they were called Magi, and they were the wisest people of their time. They have come a long way, following an extraordinary star. The wise men brought with them gifts for the Baby: gold, incense and myrrh (fragrant oil). Each gift is chosen for a reason: gold represents the king, incense - God, and myrrh - a man who has yet to die.
Magi of different ages: young, middle and old. By this, the artist shows that at any age one can come to salvation, but it is the young one who points to the Baby, thereby making it clear that it is better to find the Lord at an early age.
In the top right row, the “Nativity of Christ” icon shows angels, Rublev has three of them. One angel in a scarlet veil holds his hands in the folds of his clothing. According to ancient tradition, this gesture indicated humility. An angel stands closest to the Divine Light, and another, in a bright green robe, talks with him. The artist shows that this angel has just learned about a great event. The third angel, in a scarlet veil, bent down and preached to the shepherds about the birth of Christ.
Who else is depicted in the Nativity of Christ icon?
Reading the Gospel, a person becomes familiar with the events described by the artist. Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and said that she would soon bear the Baby in her womb. The embarrassed Virgo does not understand how this can happen, since she “does not know her husband.” The angel preaches the gospel and explains that this will be the Messiah who will come to save the human race. Virgo humbly and joyfully accepts this news.
Before the birth of the Son occurs, Mary and Joseph the Betrothed will come to Bethlehem for a census, but in the city they have nowhere to stay for the night, and they find shelter in a cave. In general, this icon, like many others, describes several events in the earthly life of the Lord at once, and time does not stand on it. The baby can be seen in two places: in the manger and in the arms of the maid. This movement confirms that God has no such thing as time.
Reflections of Joseph the Betrothed
The icon “The Nativity of Christ” by Andrei Rublev shows the world Joseph the Betrothed, sitting in the leftmost row and thinking about something. This miniature image tells the gospel story associated with this righteous man: Joseph sits and decides to secretly let Mary go.
In Israel there was a custom: a woman who committed adultery was stoned after giving birth to a child. So Rublev showed the torment of a righteous man who does not want to subject Mary to shameful punishment. But in a dream an angel appeared to him and resolved all his torment, saying that the one born of the Virgin is Christ the Savior himself.
Mary herself reclines in the center, for some reason turning away from the Child. In fact, she mentally turns to Joseph and reflects on the Divine event.
Angelic song heard by the shepherds
The “Nativity of Christ” icon also preaches about another gospel event. One of the shepherds talking with Joseph the Betrothed is drawn by the artist wearing clothes made from animal skins with the fur facing out. Such clothes were worn by the poorest people, and the other two shepherds, leaning on their staffs, listen to the good news, which is told to them by a bowed angel in scarlet clothing. On the icon, next to the shepherds, under the tree, animals are drawn: with this the artist says that every creature rejoices at the birth of the Lord.
In ancient times, Jewish shepherds had to herd sacrificial animals day and night to be brought to the temple. These were simple and kind people who, more than other Jews, were waiting for the coming of the Messiah, so they learn about the birth of the Baby and hear angels singing: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace...”
Every church has icons of the Nativity of Christ; Orthodox believers especially revere this holiday, since it is on a par with Easter.
Image of baptism
In the lower right corner, Rublev placed two maids preparing to bathe the Child. With this episode the artist shows movement, life that flows. One maid pours water into the font, and the other carefully holds the Baby, who stretches his hands to her. At first glance, it is not clear who these women are and why exactly they wash the newborn. Most likely, this image reminds people of the baptism of Christian children.
Icon "Nativity of Christ", meaning: how does it help everyone who turns to it?
The word "Bethlehem" translated from Hebrew means "house of bread", the city itself is small, but is the custodian of a great event. Even the ancient Christians built a small temple at the birthplace of the Lord, which was later destroyed by the pagan emperor. The temple has been miraculously preserved to this day, and this happened as follows. When the Persians burst into the temple and wanted to destroy it, a fresco depicting the Magi caught their eye. These were their ancestors, depicted in national clothes and who came to worship Christ. The Persians were so shocked that they left the temple with reverence.
The icon of the “Bethlehem Mother of God,” considered miraculous, is carefully preserved in the Bethlehem church. “The Nativity of Christ,” the icon of Andrei Rublev, stands on a par with this and other miraculous icons and helps everyone who turns to it with faith.
Andrey Rublev
It is known that Rublev was born into a family of painters. The name Andrei was given to him when he was tonsured, and the world-famous icon painter himself was a quiet, modest person, as befits a real monk.
There is no reliable information about the place of birth of this holy man; according to some sources, he was born in the Moscow Principality, according to others - in Nizhny Novgorod. But the year of death and the place where the icon painter was buried are known for certain. Andrei Rublev died in 1428 and was buried in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. Nowadays the Rublev Museum is opened on this site.
The early works of the Rev. Andrei Rublev are made in warm colors and imbued with joy and reverence. The prayer before the icon “Nativity of Christ” by Rublev of ordinary believers (as they admit) is always filled with special meaning; it is as warm and humble as the very appearance of the swaddled Divine Infant.
The later period of the icon painter’s life is reflected in his works, which were painted in darker tones, since Rus' was then beset by internecine wars. The monk’s brush includes such icons as “The Life-Giving Trinity” (also from the early creative period), “The Descent into Hell”, “The Annunciation”, “The Ascension”, “The Presentation”.
Rublevskaya school
The ancient icon “Nativity of Christ” is made in olive, white, greenish-yellow colors, and this makes it seem sunny and miraculous.
The figure of the Virgin Mary is placed in the very center and is dressed in dark red (crimson) clothing or, as it is correctly called, mophorium. The baby lies nearby in white swaddling clothes, tied with a cinnabar (red) swaddling cloth. Rev. Andrei indicated with this detail that this baby is Jesus Christ - the savior of the world. Behind the back of the Mother of God, the icon painter showed in black that this event took place in a cave.
The icon is written on a board carved from linden. It has survived to this day in relatively good condition. There are several cracks in the central area of the icon and on the face of the Mother of God, the halos have worn out and the colors have faded, but even in this form, the “Nativity of Christ” icon has a huge spiritual influence on believers. The meaning (in which it helps, interests many believers) of this Divine creation has not yet been fully explored. It affects every Christian differently, but no one can pass by indifferent.
Today the icon is kept in the Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral; anyone can come there and venerate the shrine.
Orthodox painters painted many icons of the Nativity of Christ in a similar or different form, but the founder of the Russian school of painting was a saintly saint, Andrei Rublev.
Andrei Rublev is the founder of the Moscow school of painting, artist, author of frescoes and icons, including the world-famous work “The Nativity of Christ.”
Little information is known about his life and history. The name Andrei was given to him during monastic tonsure. The worldly name of the icon painter is unknown to historians. According to the few surviving accounts of his contemporaries, Rublev was a modest, humble, quiet man.
He came from a family of icon painters. His whole life was devoted to monastic service. Fame came to him as a painter quite early.
Briefly about the life and work of Andrei Rublev
Some sources claim that he was born in Veliky Novgorod, some call his birthplace. The approximate date of birth is considered to be 1380.
The year of his death and burial place are known for certain. In 1428, the painter was buried in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, where a museum named after him is currently open.
Relatively detailed information about his life and work appeared in 1918, when during the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, his frescoes were cleared and icons of the Zvenigorod rank were discovered. The most striking composition of Rublev’s frescoes is considered to be “The Last Judgment”. The gloomy scene is presented by the painter as a triumph of the highest justice and is not gloomy, but rather festive in nature.
Rublev's early work is characterized by a warm emotional coloring. The works written during this period are imbued with reverent joy and spiritual beauty. One of the most famous is the icon of the Nativity of Christ.
The later period of Rublev’s life is associated with the beginning of internecine wars in Rus', which led to the destruction of moral ideals. The author’s internal harmony did not find support from the outside, which was clearly reflected in the work of this time. The images and colors become darker.
From 1425 to 1427, Andrei Rublev, in alliance with, created the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.
Only a small part of the master’s works has survived to this day. He is the author of “The Life-Giving Trinity”, “The Descent into Hell”, “The Annunciation”, “The Ascension”, “Candlemas”.
Icon of the Nativity of Christ: description and date of creation
The icon is written on a linden board. The year 1405 is considered to be the time of its completion. The icon has survived to this day in average condition. In the lower left corner, where the boards are fastened, a new layer of gesso was applied in the form of an oblong spot. There are also two inserts at the bottom right. The former gesso has been partially lost along the entire perimeter of the icon. The cinnabar edging has been preserved only in the upper part. On the field of the icon, in the area of the head of the baby Jesus, damage from nails is visible, hidden by wax and gesso. Small patches are also noticeable on the face of the Mother of God, maforia and chiton.
There is a crack on the front side of the icon, from the top to the bottom edge. There is another one in the gesso layer, in the central area of the composition. Time has greatly weakened and in many places destroyed the paint layer of the icon. The gold with which the halos, wings of angels, parts of clothing and the font were painted has been almost completely lost. and the gaps in the robes were poorly preserved. In the most complete form - the faces of the shepherds and Samomia.
Composition and colors icons
The icon "Nativity of Christ" is made in greenish-yellowish, white, transparent olive tones. Thanks to this selection of colors and shadows, the whole image seems airy and insubstantial.
In the center of the composition is the Mother of God lying on a bed of cinnabar, dressed in a dark red robe (maforium). She reclines, leaning on her hand, turning away from the baby. Behind her, the black background of the cave is clearly visible, where the Nativity of Christ took place. The icon of Andrei Rublev presents the image of Mary as dominant over the other figures in the composition.
At the top there is a manger, closely adjacent to the bed of the Mother of God. The newborn Christ is shrouded in a white shroud, tied with a cinnabar swaddling cloth, which indicates that this particular baby is the Messiah. The icon “Nativity of Christ”, its meaning and significance will undoubtedly be clear and close not only to believers, but also to people, one way or another otherwise familiar with the history of the origin of this Orthodox holiday.
In the upper right part there are two angels glorifying the birth of Christ, on the opposite side, also at the top, there are three wise men on horses. In the lower right field is a scene of Jesus with two handmaids. Currently, the “Nativity of Christ” icon is located in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, where anyone can see it.
History of the icon
The icon was saved from destruction in 1960. The director of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Museum took it out of the destroyed temple, thus preserving it to this day. The masterpiece was secretly taken from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow. However, the capital's restorers were not immediately able to recognize the true plot - the Nativity of Christ. The icon of Andrei Rublev was hidden under a layer of paint from the 19th century.
Iconography of the event
The birth of Jesus Christ is the greatest holiday for Christians around the world at all times. This event is marked by the birth of the Savior. However, Orthodox masters, observing traditions, added certain details to their works, giving them more liveliness and warmth. The adoration of the Magi, the washing of the baby, and the angels singing praises complete the captured event. The work of Andrei Rublev is a unique example of Orthodox iconography of the birth of Christ. Not only the religious rituals dedicated to this day, but also the icons of the Nativity of Christ are filled with jubilation and joy. Orthodox images of this holiday are based on the rules of Byzantine writing, which is characterized by strict adherence to the canons and precise dogmatism.
Holiday icons
The works of the great icon painter rightfully occupy an important place in the treasury of Russian Orthodox painting. The author colored dogmatic stories with warm emotional and philosophical content.
The icon of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is included in the cycle of holiday icons: “Annunciation”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Candlemas”, “Baptism”, “Resurrection of Lazarus”, “Transfiguration”, “Entry into Jerusalem”. Despite the fact that the ownership of these works by Rublev has not been confirmed for certain, they were executed in compliance with all the author’s techniques that the icon painter used in his work.
The Nativity of Christ in the works of other artists
Andrei Rublev was far from the only author whose works reflected the greatest event for all Christians. His brush belongs to the most famous example of canonical painting on the theme of the birth of the Messiah: the icon of the Nativity of Christ. The descriptions of the works of other authors mostly repeat the content of Rublev's masterpiece. This circumstance is largely explained by the fact that the Moscow school of painting founded by Rublev had a large number of followers.
Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity: icons
As stated above, the Nativity of Jesus is a great event, one of the few that laid the foundations of the Christian faith. It not only shaped an entire direction of icon painting, but also left a huge mark on church architecture.
It is rightfully one of the most important Christian shrines ever existing. It was built in 325 AD. e. on the site of the cave where, according to legend, the baby Jesus was born. In 529, the church was burned down during the Samaritan uprising, but was soon completely restored under the reign of Emperor Justinian.
One of the most famous icons of the temple is considered to be the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos of Bethlehem, fulfilling the prayers of all those who ask. Among parishioners and tourists, it is as popular as the Rublev icon of the Nativity of Christ. In Bethlehem, the annual influx of worshipers numbers several hundred thousand people.
A special distinctive feature of the image is that the Mother of God is depicted smiling, whereas in traditional religious painting the face of the Mother of God expresses sorrow or tenderness. One of the most striking works created in such traditions is the icon of the Nativity of Christ. The significance of its symbols for the Orthodox faith is difficult to overestimate.
On one of the 44 columns of the temple there is a myrrh-streaming image of the Savior, which Christian believers also consider miraculous.
It evokes the same awe and reverence as the icons of the Nativity of Christ. Orthodox Christians from all over the world come to Bethlehem to venerate these shrines. Parts of the precious mosaic from the time of Tsar Constantine have been preserved in the decoration of the temple to this day.
Main shrine
The main part of the temple is the cave in which Jesus Christ was born. The very place of his birth is marked with a silver star in the marble floor and is surrounded by 15 burning lamps. 5 of them belong to Armenians, 4 to Catholics, and 6 to the Greek Orthodox denomination. The cave is shallow, oblong in shape, its length is approximately 12 meters and its width is 4 meters.
Next to it is the throne of the “Holy Manger”, on which you can see a wax image of the baby Jesus.