The history of baptism: how they were baptized in the Ancient Church. Orthodox church: external and internal structure

20.01.2015 0 4070

If you ask a person who occasionally attends church who the catechumens are, most often only the idiom “yells like a catechumen” will come to mind. We use a proverb when we want to say that someone is behaving inappropriately, making noise, or disturbing the peace. But where did the saying itself come from? Who is the catechumen and why is he yelling?

In the 1st century, when a new religion was born - Christianity, people approached the issue of accepting this faith very seriously. For all converts, this was a difficult and sometimes dangerous choice, a complete change in life path. For belonging to the Christian community they could be sent to prison, subjected to painful torture and even killed.

In those days, Christian churches were secret, and most often they were not even temples, but rooms hidden in the thickness of the walls, or underground shelters, caves. People came to faith at a conscious age, and not everyone who decided to become Christians survived such an underground life.

Christians were hated by everyone: Jews - because their compatriots indulged in a dangerous heresy, pagans - because the newly-minted Jewish sect did not recognize their pagan pantheon.

Difficult choice

So, before being baptized into the new faith, future members of the community went through a rather impressive probationary period. At first, they listened to the words of their already baptized brothers, learned the basic rules, that is, they underwent the so-called catechesis - training in the basics of Christianity. The newcomers could not tell the priest that they knew everything and understood everything and therefore wanted to be baptized. Baptism in the ancient church was carried out only a couple of times a year, when there were a sufficient number of people willing.

And only the most worthy could be baptized - those who had ardent faith in their hearts and who could answer the priest’s questions. And everyone else tried to live in accordance with the principles of Christianity, memorized prayers, memorized the meaning of church events - that is, they learned to be Christians. Sometimes training dragged on for many years. Those wishing to be baptized did not occupy a full place in the Christian community.

They were considered newcomers and not even fully Christians - after all, the Holy Spirit had not yet descended on them, they had not yet been baptized. In the Roman Empire, these newcomers were called catechumens, that is, undergoing a period of preparation for the sacrament of Baptism - catechesis. In our country, this word, incomprehensible to Russians, was translated as “catechumen,” and catechumens began to be called catechumens, that is, those who expressed a desire to become Christians, but have not yet become one.

Before baptism, all catechumens were considered pagans. Communities were then unfriendly to newcomers: you never know what evil a newcomer would bring to the community. There were many cases when pagans were baptized and then returned to the old faith again. Some were baptized and unbaptized more than once. Therefore, at the First Ecumenical Council it was specially agreed not to accept people into the community without a probationary period. And all cases of baptism of pagans immediately or shortly after expressing the desire were strictly condemned.

Priests who violated this rule could even be expelled from the clergy. And newcomers were required to attend all public sermons for a month. Then they completely determined the duration of training - at least three years. In just three years, any beginner will figure out whether he is ready to become a Christian. The catechumens tried to take part in the life of the church community, but they were not allowed to participate in some rituals.

For example, they did not have the right to be present at the entire liturgy and could only be with the baptized at that part of it, which was called the “liturgy of the catechumens.” In this part of the liturgy, the priest prayed for the speedy acceptance of the catechumens into the bosom of the church. And then the ceremony continued only for the faithful - the deacon proclaimed three times: “Catechumens, come forth!”, and only the baptized remained in the church. The liturgy for them was called “the liturgy of the faithful.”

Not admitted to the liturgy

There was no equality among the catechumens themselves. Those who had just arrived were treated with distrust, scrutinized, and subjected to tests. Moreover, they could not just appear in the community. The future Christian was brought to the priest or bishop by a lay believer or deacon. The priest assessed the candidate, read him the appropriate prayer, made the sign of the cross and blessed him to learn the basics of faith. Such newcomers so far had only one right - to listen carefully and remember.

They were called that - audiences, that is, listeners. In the temple they were present only at the reading of sacred texts. As they trained, the audience moved to a higher category of beginners - orants (prayers), since they could already participate in some rituals, pray with the faithful, kneel, fast, participate in the liturgy of the catechumens, but did not take the sacrament. They studied the Creed and sacred texts.

Neither the audiences nor the orants could stand in the temple next to the baptized. They were given a special place along with those repenting of their sins - in the vestibule, next to the main entrance. They were not allowed into the middle part of the temple, where the faithful prayed.

In ancient times, people were usually baptized on the holidays of Easter or Epiphany, and they prepared very carefully for this day. Before the ceremony, the catechumens had to confess their sins to the priest, and he would decide how great the severity of these sins was and whether the candidate could be admitted to the baptismal ceremony. The candidate honestly spoke about what prompted him to come to church, and the priest found out whether there were any obstacles to baptism, and if the catechumen passed the test, then he was allowed to participate in the ceremony.

It is impossible, for example, to convert from Catholicism to Orthodoxy through baptism. You cannot return to your faith after being thrown out of the church. In the early church, rebaptism was not encouraged. But when the church took a stable place and there were no pagans left, re-baptism was considered unacceptable.

They could not baptize a catechumen if he was careless during his studies or did not accept some of the dogmas of the church. This would mean accepting an unfit member into the community, or worse, a future heretic. They refused baptism to a person who did not want to take part in the affairs of his community. Those who strived with all their might to receive baptism, but continued to lead sinful and immoral lives, were also denied.

There was a whole list of activities that did not allow even a sincere believer to accept baptism - prostitution, abortion, fornication, sorcery and sorcery, pimping, etc. And there was only one way to undergo the rite of baptism - to repent. However, repentance by priests was not always taken on faith.

The premature death of a catechumen was also considered an obstacle to baptism. A priest could baptize a person on his deathbed, but he could not baptize a dead person, even if he was a catechumen during his lifetime. However, it was entirely permitted to baptize the insane if they had previously been catechumens!

As soon as the catechumen was baptized, he became an equal member of the community. Although after the ceremony the final stage of catechesis had to go through.

There would be a desire

When the Christian Church became dominant, the need for the catechumen of adults disappeared. There were so few of them that at some point they even stopped building the vestibules where they would have been during church ceremonies.

They began to baptize in infancy. And all that was left of those announced was the name. But the need for teaching the catechism remained. True, catechesis now concerned children. In Catholicism, at the right age, children undergo the rite of confirmation and become full members of the church.

Adults in Catholicism are baptized extremely rarely. Beforehand, they undergo evangelization, that is, they learn the very basics of faith. Then they receive the name catechumens and become more seriously involved in the faith; at the end of this stage they receive a new name. The preparation for baptism is completed by a long period of prayer and cleansing of the soul from the filth of atheism.

Now the person is ready to be baptized and join the ranks of Christians. Over the long years of the existence of Christianity, the attitude towards catechumens who did not have time to be baptized during their lifetime has also changed. It is now believed that the catechumen who suddenly died was already baptized, since he received the “baptism of desire.”

In some Christian denominations, only adults who understand well what a responsible step they are taking can accept baptism.

Nikolay KOTOMKIN

The Lord Himself gave people in the Old Testament, through the prophet Moses, instructions on what a temple should be like for worship; The New Testament Orthodox church is built according to the model of the Old Testament.

The New Testament Orthodox church is built on the model of the Old Testament

How the Old Testament temple (in the beginning – the tabernacle) was divided into three parts:

holy of holies,
sanctuary and
yard,

– and the Orthodox Christian church is divided into three parts:

altar,
the middle part of the temple and
porch.

Like the holy of holies then and now altar means the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Old Testament times, no one could enter the altar. Only the high priest once a year, and then only with the blood of a cleansing sacrifice. After all, the Kingdom of Heaven was closed to man after the Fall. The high priest was a prototype of Christ, and this action of his signified to people that the time would come when Christ, through the shedding of His blood and suffering on the cross, would open the Kingdom of Heaven to everyone. That is why when Christ died on the cross, the curtain in the temple that covered the Holy of Holies was torn in two: from that moment on, Christ opened the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven for all who come to Him with faith.

The middle part of the New Testament temple corresponds to the Old Testament sanctuary

The sanctuary corresponds to in our Orthodox church middle part of the temple. None of the people had the right to enter the sanctuary of the Old Testament temple, except the priests. All Christian believers stand in our church, because now the Kingdom of God is closed to no one.

The courtyard of the Old Testament temple, where all the people were, corresponds to the Orthodox church porch, now of no significant importance. Previously, catechumens stood here who, while preparing to become Christians, had not yet received the sacrament of baptism. Now, sometimes those who have seriously sinned and apostatized from the Church are temporarily sent to stand in the vestibule for correction.

Catechumens are people preparing to become Christians

Orthodox churches are being built altar to the east– towards the light, where the sun rises: the Lord Jesus Christ is the “east” for us, from Him the eternal Divine Light has shone for us. In church prayers we call Jesus Christ the “Sun of Truth”, “from the heights of the East” (that is, “East from above”), “His name is East.”

Each temple is dedicated to God, bearing a name in memory of one or another sacred event or saint of God, for example, Trinity Church, Transfiguration, Ascension, Annunciation, Pokrovsky, Michael-Arkhangelsk, Nikolaevsky, etc. If several altars are installed in the temple, each of They are consecrated in memory of a special event or saint. Then all the altars, except the main one, are called side-altars, or aisles.

There may be several altars in a temple

A temple (“church”) is a special house dedicated to God - the “House of God” in which services are performed. In the temple there is a special grace or mercy of God, which is given to us through those performing divine services - clergy (bishops and priests).

The external appearance of the temple differs from an ordinary building in that it rises above the temple. dome, depicting the sky. The dome ends at the top head, on which it is placed cross, for the glory of the head of the Church - Jesus Christ.

Often, not one, but several chapters are built on a temple, then

two heads mean two natures (Divine and human) in Jesus Christ;
three chapters - three Persons of the Holy Trinity;
five chapters - Jesus Christ and the four evangelists,
seven chapters - seven sacraments and seven Ecumenical Councils;
nine chapters - nine ranks of angels;
thirteen chapters - Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.

Sometimes more chapters are built.

Above the entrance to the temple is usually built Bell tower, that is, the tower on which the bells hang. The ringing of bells is necessary in order to call believers to worship and to announce the most important parts of the service performed in the church.

At the entrance to the temple there is a place outside porch(platform, porch).

Inside the temple is divided into three parts:

porch,
the temple itself or middle part of the temple, where they stand praying, and
altar, where the clergy perform services and the most important place in the entire temple is located - The Holy See, where the sacrament of Holy Communion is performed.

The altar is separated from the middle part of the temple iconostasis consisting of several rows icons and having three gate: The middle gate is called Royal, because through them the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the King of glory, invisibly passes in the Holy Gifts (in holy communion). Therefore, no one is allowed to pass through the royal doors except the clergy.

The iconostasis is needed to separate the altar from the middle part of the temple

The reading and singing of prayers performed according to a special rite (order) in a temple headed by a clergyman is called worship.

The most important worship service is liturgy or mass(it takes place before noon).

Since there is a temple great holy place, where with special mercy is invisibly present God Himself, then we must enter the temple with prayer and keep yourself in the temple quiet And reverently. You cannot turn your back to the altar. Do not do it leave from the church until the end of the service.

So you enter the temple. You have passed the first doors and found yourself in porch, or refectory. The porch is the entrance to the temple. In the first centuries of Christianity, penitents stood here, as well as catechumens (that is, persons preparing for holy baptism). Now this part of the temple does not have the same importance as before, but even today, sometimes those who have seriously sinned and apostatized from the church temporarily stand in the vestibule for correction.

Having entered the next doors, that is, having entered the middle part of the temple, an Orthodox Christian must make the sign of the cross three times.

When entering the middle part of the temple, you must cross yourself three times

The middle part of the temple is called nave, that is, by ship, or quadruple. It is intended for the prayer of the faithful or those who have already been baptized. The most remarkable thing in this part of the temple are salty, and pulpit, choir And iconostasis. Word salty is of Greek origin and means the seat. This is an elevation in front of iconostasis. It is arranged so that the worship service is more visible and audible for parishioners. It should be noted that in ancient times the solea was very narrow.

Solea is a platform, an elevation in front of the iconostasis

The middle of the solea, opposite the Royal Doors, is called pulpit, i.e. by ascent. At the pulpit, the deacon pronounces litanies and reads the Gospel. On the pulpit, Holy Communion is also given to believers.

Choirs(right and left) are the extreme sections of the solea, intended for readers and singers. Attached to the choirs banners, that is, icons on poles, called church banners. Iconostasis called the wall separating the nave from altar, all hung with icons, sometimes in several rows.

In the center of the iconostasis - Royal Doors located opposite the throne. They are called so because through them the King of Glory Jesus Christ Himself comes out in the Holy Gifts. The Royal Doors are decorated with icons depicting them: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary And four evangelists, that is, the apostles who wrote the Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. An icon is placed above the royal doors last supper.

An icon is always placed to the right of the royal doors Savior,
and to the left is the icon Mother of God.

To the right of the icon of the Savior is south door, and to the left of the icon of the Mother of God is north door. These side doors depict Archangels Michael and Gabriel, or the first deacons Stephen and Philip, or the high priest Aaron and the prophet Moses. Side doors are also called deacon's gate, since deacons most often pass through them.

Further, behind the side doors of the iconostasis, icons of especially revered saints are placed. The first icon to the right of the icon of the Savior (not counting the southern door) should always be temple icon, that is, an image of that holiday or that saint in whose honor the temple was consecrated.

In the Russian tradition, high iconostases are adopted, often consisting of five tiers

In the first tier on the Royal Doors there are icons of the Annunciation and the four evangelists; on the side gates (northern and southern) there are icons of archangels. On the sides of the Royal Doors: on the right is the image of the Savior and the temple festival, and on the left is the Mother of God and the icon of a particularly revered saint.
In the second tier - above the Royal Doors - is the Last Supper, and on the sides are icons of the twelve feasts.
In the third tier - above the Last Supper - the Deesis icon, or prayer, in the center of which is the Savior sitting on the throne, on the right is the Mother of God, on the left is John the Baptist, and on the sides are icons of prophets and apostles stretching out their hands to the Lord in prayer . To the right and left of the Deesis are icons of saints and archangels.
In the fourth tier above the “Deesis row”: icons of the Old Testament righteous - the holy prophets.
In the fifth tier is the God of Hosts with the Divine Son, and on the sides are icons of the Old Testament patriarchs. At the very top of the iconostasis there is a cross with the Mother of God and St. John the Theologian standing on either side.

The number of tiers may vary in different temples.

At the very top of the iconostasis there is cross with the image of our crucified Lord Jesus Christ on it.

In addition to the iconostasis, icons are placed on the walls of the temple, in large icon cases, that is, in special large frames, and are also located on lecterns, that is, on special high narrow tables with an inclined surface.

Icon is a special large frame for an icon

Altar temples are always facing east to commemorate the idea that the church and worshipers are directed towards "to the east from above", that is, to Christ.

The altar is the main part of the temple, intended for the clergy and the persons who serve them during worship. The altar represents heaven, the dwelling place of the Lord himself. Due to the especially sacred significance of the altar, it always inspires mysterious reverence, and upon entering it, believers must bow to the ground, and persons of military rank must remove their weapons. In extreme cases, not only church ministers, but also laymen - men - can enter the altar with the blessing of the priest.

In the altar, divine services are performed by the clergy and the holiest place in the entire temple is located - the holy throne, where the sacrament of Holy Communion is performed. The altar is placed on a raised platform. It is higher than other parts of the temple, so that everyone can hear the service and see what is happening in the altar. The very word “altar” means “exalted altar.”

The throne is a specially consecrated quadrangular table, located in the middle of the altar and decorated with two clothes: the lower one - white, made of linen, and the upper one - made of more expensive material, mostly brocade. The Lord Himself is mysteriously and invisibly present on the throne as the King and Lord of the Church. Only clergy can touch and kiss the throne.

On the throne are: an antimension, a Gospel, a cross, a tabernacle and a monstrance.

Antimens is called a silk cloth (shawl) consecrated by the bishop with an image on it of the position of Jesus Christ in the tomb and, necessarily, with a particle of the relics of some saint sewn on the other side, since in the first centuries of Christianity the Liturgy was always performed at the tombs of martyrs. Without an antimension, the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated (the word “antimension” is Greek, meaning “in place of the throne”).

For safety, the antimind is wrapped in another silk board called orton. It reminds us of the sir (plate) with which the Savior’s head was wrapped in the tomb.

It lies on the antimind itself lip(sponge) for collecting particles of the Holy Gifts.

Gospel- this is the word of God, the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Cross- this is the sword of God, with which the Lord defeated the devil and death.

Tabernacle called the ark (box) in which the Holy Gifts are stored in case of communion for the sick. Usually the tabernacle is made in the form of a small church.

Behind the throne is seven-branched candlestick, that is, a candlestick with seven lamps, and behind it altar cross. The place behind the throne at the very eastern wall of the altar is called to the heavenly(high) place; it is usually made sublime.

monstrance called a small reliquary (box), in which the priest carries the Holy Gifts for communion with the sick at home.

To the left of the throne, in the northern part of the altar, there is another small table, also decorated on all sides with clothes. This table is called altar. Gifts for the sacrament of Communion are prepared on it.

On the altar are sacred vessels with all accessories. All these sacred objects must not be touched by anyone except bishops, priests and deacons.

On the right side of the altar is arranged sacristy. This is the name of the room where vestments are stored, that is, sacred garments used during worship, as well as church vessels and books with which worship is performed.

The temple also has eve, this is the name of a low table on which there is an image of the crucifixion and a stand for candles. Before the eve, memorial services are served, that is, funeral services for the dead.

Standing in front of icons and lecterns candlesticks, on which believers place candles.

In the middle of the temple, at the top of the ceiling, hangs chandelier, i.e. a large candlestick with many candles. The chandelier is lit during solemn moments of the service.

Now about the bells. They belong to the items of church utensils. Bells began to be used in the 7th century, during the time of persecution of Christians. Before this, the time for worship was determined through verbal announcements by the performers of the service, or Christians were called to prayer by special persons who went from house to house with announcements. Then, for the call to worship, metal boards called with blows or riveters which were hit with a hammer. In the 7th century, bells appeared in the Italian region of Campania; that's why bells are sometimes also called campaigns.

In the Russian church, 5 or more bells of various sizes and different tones are usually used for ringing. The ringing itself has three names:

blagovest,
pealing And
chime.

Chime- slowly ringing each bell in turn, starting with the largest and ending with the smallest, and then ringing all the bells simultaneously. Chime is usually used in connection with a sad event, for example, when carrying the dead.

Blagovest- ringing one bell.

Trezvon is the ringing of all bells, expressing Christian joy on the occasion of a solemn holiday and the like.

Nowadays it is becoming a custom to give bells the sounds of a scale, so that their ringing sometimes produces a certain melody. The ringing of bells increases the solemnity of the service. There is a special service to consecrate the bells before raising them to the bell tower.

Above the entrance to the temple, and sometimes next to the temple, it is built Bell tower, or belfry, that is, the tower on which the bells hang.

Bell ringing is used to call believers to prayer, to worship, and also to announce the most important parts of the service performed in the church.

The altar is a holy place, so the uninitiated are not allowed to enter it. (The temple itself is intended for believers, and in the vestibule formerly stood those who were preparing for baptism, and penitents who were temporarily excommunicated from communion.)

The altar means heaven, where God dwells, and the temple means the earth.. The word “altar” is of Latin origin and means “ high altar“. The most important place in the altar is throne, rising in the middle of it. On the throne is located Gospel- recorded The Word of God.
Even the first Christian martyrs, who prayed in underground (catacomb) churches, fenced off the front part of the temple with bars and built an altar there. A stone tomb containing the remains of the holy martyr was placed in the altar as a shrine. It was performed on the relics of the holy martyr Divine Liturgy.

The tomb of the martyr for Christ symbolized Christ Himself. Nowadays, in the center of the altar there is a holy throne, on which lies antimens with particles sewn into it relics holy martyrs. The relics of the holy celestials establish a direct connection between the altar of the earthly Church and Heavenly Church, with the Kingdom of God.

The altar and everything in it is the greatest shrine of our Church. (Martyr is a Christian who was martyred for his faith in Christ; Relics are the remains of a person after burial; the relics of saints often remain incorruptible). Already in the first centuries of Christianity, there was an altar barrier in the form of a low lattice. Over time, this barrier turned into iconostasis with the Royal and side gates. From ancient times to the present day, altars are located on some elevation in relation to the rest of the temple. The holy altar is placed in the middle of the altar.

On the eastern side of the altar on the outside of the temple there is a semicircle - apse. In the middle of the apse of the altar, opposite the throne, an elevation is built, where a chair is placed for the bishop as a sign throne, on which he invisibly sits Almighty. This place is called mountainous place. To the left of the high place there is an altar on which proskomedia.
On the northern side of the throne in the altar it is customary to place an icon of the Mother of God on a pole, and on the southern side - cross with the image of the Crucifixion of Christ. The altar usually has three windows, signifying uncreated trinitarian light of the Godhead. The altar where it is performed Sacrament of the Eucharist, as if repeating that tidied, furnished, ready-made room where the last supper Christ and His disciples. And today it is kept especially clean, covered with carpets and decorated in every possible way.

(Proskomedia- First part liturgy(see “Divine service”); Eucharist - Sacrament established by Christ at the Last Supper, in which Christians partake Body and Blood of the Lord under the guise of bread and wine (Matthew 26:26-29)).

The sanctity of the altar is so great that in ancient times all lay people were prohibited from entering the altar - not only women, as now, but also men.

The “Handbook of an Orthodox Person” contains the most complete reference information on the most important topics for every Christian: the structure of the temple, Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, Divine services and the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, the annual circle of Orthodox holidays and fasts, etc.

The first part of the Directory - “Orthodox Temple” - talks about the external and internal structure of the temple and everything that belongs to the temple building. The book contains a large number of illustrations and a detailed index.

Censor Archimandrite Luke (Pinaev)

From the publisher

The encyclopedic reference book “The New Tablet,” compiled in the 19th century by Archbishop Veniamin of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, went through 17 editions, despite the inherent materialism and skepticism of the era. The reason for such incredible popularity of the collection was the fact that it collected enormous reference material about temple buildings, their external and internal structure, utensils, sacred objects and images, rites of public and private worship performed in the Orthodox Church.

Unfortunately, the archaic language of the “New Tablet” and the oversaturation of the collection with explanations of the symbolic meanings of the objects described make this unique book very difficult for a modern Christian to understand. And the need for the information it provided is even greater at the moment than in the century before last. Therefore, our Publishing House is making an attempt to continue the tradition started by the “New Tablet”.

In the "Handbook of Orthodox People" " We have collected the most complete reference information on the above topics, adapted for the understanding of modern Christians. We have prepared the first part of the book - “Orthodox Temple” - which is distinguished by the completeness of the reference material contained in it. Here you can find information about the external and internal structure of Orthodox churches and everything that is their integral part. Another feature of the book is the abundance of illustrations that clearly represent the sacred objects described in it.

The internal structure of the reference book is characterized by the fact that the beginning of an article devoted to a particular sacred object is highlighted in bold, which makes it easy to find it in the text.

In this case, the text is not divided into separate parts, but forms an indivisible whole, united within large sections by the internal logic of the narrative.

The book also contains a detailed subject index, allowing the reader to easily find the term they are interested in.

To compile the first part, several sources were used, but the “Handbook of a Clergyman” was taken as a basis, the accuracy of the descriptions of which is not subject to any doubt. Experience shows that even long-time parishioners of Orthodox churches have a distorted idea of some sacred objects or do not have it at all. The book aims to fill these gaps. In addition, it can become a reference book for those who have just come to an Orthodox church and do not know anything about it.

The Publishing House plans to work on the following parts of the reference book:

1 . Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.

2 . Iconography (without special and applied information).

3 . Divine service of the Orthodox Church.

4 . Sacraments of the Orthodox Church.

5 . Annual circle of holidays and Orthodox fasts.

6 . General information on dogmatic and moral theology and other topics.

The purpose of the collection is to collect reference material about the Orthodox Church of a generally accessible nature. The book will help believers fill the lack of knowledge about the most important components of the life of an Orthodox person that exists today.

The altar part of the temple. Photo: www.nesterov-cerkov.ru

Altar. The third, eastern part of the church is called the altar. This part of the temple symbolizes paradise, the spiritual sky and symbolizes the place where the Lord is. This is the main part in the church and the place where all the clergy and subdeacons and readers can enter. Men who have received the blessing of the rector of the temple or bishop can also enter the altar.

Altar. Photo:www.hram-feodosy.kiev.ua

Women are strictly prohibited from entering the altar. In ancient times this may have included female deaconesses. These are women who trained women catechumens. In the altar, clergy perform divine services and services. The Orthodox church is covered with church frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints. In addition, frescoes can depict images of God the Father, the Son of God, the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God, saints, etc.

Holy See. Photo:www.hram-feodosy.kiev.ua

Holy See. In the center of the altar is the Holy See. This is the main shrine of every church, this is a special place, a place where God resides. The Holy See is a table covered with beautiful brocade fabric. Under each church altar there is a piece of the relics of a saint. The placement of a particle of the saint’s relics dates back to the times when Christians were persecuted in the first three centuries; they performed divine services in the catacombs on the tombs of their dead brothers in faith. The placement of a particle of the saint’s relics in the altar is mandatory, and without it not a single divine service can be performed in the church.

Holy See. Photo:www.azbyka.ru

There are also mobile Holy Altars, the so-called traveling altars. They are used, for example, where it is not possible to build a church, in missionary activities, when the church has not yet been built, but it is necessary to perform the Holy Mysteries, during military operations, long expeditions...

At the Holy See, priests usually perform the Liturgy. Holy Communion is being prepared on the altar.

Liturgical objects located on the Holy See. Photo:www.hram-feodosy.kiev.ua

The following liturgical objects are located on the Holy See: cross with which the priest blesses the faithful, St. Gospel, antimens– illuminated fabric depicting the burial of Jesus Christ. Inside the antimind there is another fabric called oriton. In addition to oriton there is also anti-mise sponge. With it, randomly falling particles of sacramental bread are collected on the iliton after the preparation of the Holy Gifts. In the iliton there is a particle from the relics of a saint, a martyr saint.

Tabernacle. Photo:www.yapokrov.ru

Tabernacle. Here, too, there is a lamp, two candlesticks with one candle each, which are located on the right and left sides of the throne, and a tabernacle. The tabernacle is shaped like a small church or tomb.

Alavaster or myrrh. St. Miro is kept in alavastra and is located near the tabernacle.

Mirnitsa.Photo:www.yapokrov.ru

Monstrance. The tabernacle is designed to preserve the Holy Gifts for sick Orthodox Christians and the monstrance. The priest brings it home and gives communion to seriously ill, difficult to move and immobile parishioners who are physically unable to come to the temple themselves and receive the Holy Gifts.

Monstrance.Photo:www.yapokrov.ru

Seven-branched candlestick. Behind the throne is the seven-branched candlestick - a candlestick on a high stand with seven candles. In the ancient Orthodox Church there was no seven-branched candlestick in the church altar. In ancient times, only two candles were lit on the throne. They symbolize the two natures of the Son of God - divine and human. He later appeared in Orthodox houses of worship. Today it is a mandatory liturgical item in the altar in the church. The roots of the seven-branched candlestick in the Orthodox church go back to the Old Testament Jewish temple.

Seven-branched candlestick. Photo:www.yapokrov.ru

The seven-branched candlestick has more than one symbol. We learn about its symbols from the last book of the New Testament - Revelation, written by St. John the Theologians. From this sacred book we learn that the simis candlestick symbolizes the seven spirits of God, seven Orthodox church sacraments, seven churches, seven bowls of God's wrath, seven thunders, seven seals of the mysterious book, seven angelic trumpets.

Altar cross and altar cross. Photo:www.yapokrov.ru

Altar cross. Near the seven-branched candlestick there is also an altar cross with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is a large wooden cross with the image of the Savior crucified on the cross.

Altar. In addition to the altar, there is an altar in the Holy of Holies in the Orthodox prayer house. It is located on the left, northern side of the throne. The altar is also called a proposal or protisot. In size, it is almost identical to the throne and has the same height as the throne. In the first centuries of the construction of Orthodox churches, the altar was not located in the altar. It was later moved to the altar.

Altar. Photo:www.azbyka.ru

The altar contains the following sacred objects: Holy Chalice or St. Chalice. This is the Sacred Cup into which water and wine are poured. The Holy Chalice is a symbol of the Blood of Jesus Christ. Paten- This is a flat, round, disc-shaped metal vessel. Bread for Holy Communion is placed on it. The communion bread symbolizes the Body of the Son of God. Copy- This is a metal stick, similar to a small knife, with the help of which particles are removed from the sacramental bread during Proskomedia. The symbol of the spear is the spear with which the crucified Savior was pierced. Zvezditsa- these are two arcs connected at the top by a cross. It serves when the paten with the removed particles of the sacramental bread is covered with coverings. Therefore, a star is placed between the paten and the covers so that the particles do not touch the covers. A metal cup for warm water called heat. Liar for Communion. This spoon is used for the laity in the temple. Air- this is a quadrangular fabric measuring seventy by seventy centimeters, Pokrovtsy- fabrics that have a cross shape, sponge and so on. Proskomedia, the first part of the Liturgy, is celebrated on the altar.

The altar contains other liturgical objects, such as censer or censer, dikiriy, trikirium And two ripids.

Dikiriy is a candlestick with two candles that symbolize the two natures of Our Lord Jesus Christ - human and divine. Respectively, trikirium is a candlestick with three candles, symbolizing the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. They are used by metropolitans and the patriarch when they serve in a church with a local priest and bless parishioners with them.

Dikiriy, triky and ripida. Photo:www.azbyka.ru

Ripida- a metal circle on a long pole. In the early centuries of Christianity, they were made from peacock feathers and served to drive away insects from the Holy Communion. Currently they have spiritual symbolism. They symbolize the presence of angelic powers over the Body and Blood of Christ.

Censer.Photo by Ilya Svinkovsky, www.foma.rukadilo.html

Sacristy. There is also a sacristy in the altar. It is located on the right side of the throne. This is the place where clergy dress and the liturgical clothes of priests, deacons and subdeacons are preserved. Also, church utensils and liturgical books will be preserved here. In Bulgarian churches, especially in ancient churches, the sacristy is most often an ordinary wardrobe. In small and rural houses of God in Bulgaria, the sacristy “serves” as a table on which liturgical vestments lie.

A high place with a bishop's throne. Photo:www.simvol-veri.ru

Mountain place. The place between the altar and the eastern wall of the altar is called the High Place. It has “entered” the altar since ancient times. This is an elevated place behind the throne, where in ancient times the archbishop’s chair was located - the bishop’s throne. Today this throne in Bulgarian Orthodox churches is located in the naos.

Materials used

3.“Establishment of an Orthodox Church.”- http://berezniki.cerkov.ru/ustrojstvo-pravoslavnogo-xrama/

4. Makariopolsky Bishop Dr. Nikolai and Archimandrite Dr. Seraphim, "Temple"- http://www.pravmladeji.org/node/36

5. "Altar and church utensils", Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Balkanabat (Turkmenistan) - http://www.balkanabat.prihod.ru/

6. From a book "Temple. Rituals. Divine services", website of Holy Trinity Orthodox School - http://www.holytrinitymission.org/index.php

Master of Divinity

Photo report