21.09.2020,
During the summer, the iconographical landscape of the ITI Byzantine Chapel - the location for ITI’s common prayers and divine liturgies – has been enriched with several additional Christological and Marian mysteries. The new icons complete the depictions of the main liturgical feasts in the chapel: the Entrance of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple, the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, Pentecost, and the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
These scenes were planned from the beginning of the iconographical project, and the timing worked out for ITI graduate and Byzantine Chapel iconographer Fr. Ioan Gotia, dcjm to come to Trumau and write them. Br. Tomás Basallo Diez, dcjm, a fellow member of Fr. Ioan’s religious community, assisted Fr. Ioan in his work. Fr. Ioan gladly shares his vision and inspiration for the new icons:
“The Entrance of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple unfolds the mystery of Our Lady’s vocation of being a living ‘temple’ for the Son of God through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, making her the Ark of the New Covenant. At the same time, it anticipates the entrance of Mary into the Heavenly temple of the Father’s house at the hour of her Dormition. The lamp carried by the child Mary is echoed in the burning candle of the Dormition scene, since Mary is the wise virgin who carried the lamp filled with the abundant oil of the Divine Word, waiting for the coming of the Divine Spouse. The lifted hands of the child Mary is echoed again in the gesture of the Blessed Virgin at her Dormition, entrusting herself totally into her Son’s hands who carries her into the heavenly bliss prepared for the ‘little ones.’
If the mystery of Our Lady’s Entrance into the temple speaks about her mission of becoming the ‘temple’ of the Incarnate Word, the mystery of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem reveals two opposite attitudes before Christ’s coming. The first attitude is that of the scribes and Pharisees, who grasp the rolls of the Holy Scriptures without opening themselves to the light and water of the Holy Spirit. Unable to recognize Christ in the Scriptures, they are like the barren fig-tree which produces leaves, but no fruit of conversion. The other attitude is that of the disciples and of the children who, with pure and humble hearts open to the action of the Holy Spirit, prepare the way before the Lord with songs of praise, palm branches, and the fruits of conversion (symbolized by the figs carried by the boy). Even the donkey, never ridden before, indicates humble, obedient, and joyful service to the Lord who goes to His Passion (the docility of the donkey is suggested by the lack of reins).
The Pentecost event unfolds the mystery of the birth of the Church which took place on the Cross. The Blessed Virgin, who stood faithfully by the side of her Son united with His saving sacrifice, now stands in the midst of the disciples imploring the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. At the foot of the Cross the divine maternity was opened towards the whole Mystical Body of Christ, which is born through the action of the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed her at the Annunciation. The tongs of the fire of the Spirit enkindle the hearts of the fearful disciples and drive them to announce with great power the Good News of God’s saving love and the call to conversion. The hands of the Blessed Virgin and those of the disciples are opened to receive the Perfect Gift coming from above from the Father of Lights and to transmit it to the whole Church.
Also, four Old Testament mysteries were added, which prefigure and announce the New Testament Christological mysteries. These parallels are the following: the Burning Bush – the Nativity of Christ; the Sacrifice of Abraham – the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple; Jonah coming out of the whale – the Baptism of Christ; Moses striking the rock with the rod and water gushing forth – the Crucifixion of Christ and water and blood coming forth from His opened side. In each one of these prefigurations God’s saving power and His faithfulness to His Covenant with His Chosen People are revealed:
He is the Living God of Abraham Who seals the Covenant with him. As Divine Father, He substitutes the oblation of Isaac (the beloved son of Abraham) with that of Christ (the Divine beloved Son) in order to save mankind. The ram offered in sacrifice instead of Isaac prefigures Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Isaac, with outstretched hands tied to the wood for the sacrifice, wears a serene expression, revealing his willingness to offer his life to God, while Abraham, with utmost trust in God’s love, offers his own son.
In the Burning Bush, God manifests His name to Moses, which will be fully revealed in the Incarnation of the Eternal Son, the Emmanuel – “God with us”. As expressed in the liturgical hymns, the fire of the Divine presence preserved the virginity of the Blessed Mother of God during and after giving birth to the Saviour of mankind. She is represented with extended hands, prolonging the gesture of her Son and mediating the outpouring of the Divine blessings.
Jonah, with his hands extended in prayer, comes out of the water and of the open mouth of the whale wearing a white vestment, which is a sign of his new birth from the womb of the water and of his conversion to God. He prefigures Christ’s entering and coming out of the waters of Jordan, announcing His Passion and Resurrection. (In the Baptism scene the shape of the Jordan shore is that of a fish with open mouth.) At the same time, Jonah prefigures all sinners who convert to God and are re-born from the waters of baptism.
The miracle of the water gushing forth from the rock struck by the staff of Moses speaks about the saving power of God that enables the Chosen People to survive and reach the Promised Land. Following a rabbinic tradition, Saint Paul interprets the spiritual rock following the Pilgrim Chosen People and outpouring the spiritual drink for them as pointing to Christ (1 Cor 10:4): the Church is born from Christ’s open side on the Cross, gushing forth water and blood, a sign of the life-giving Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. In the Crucifixion scene, the gift of the new Divine life is treasured by the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the New Eve born from New Adam’s side. In the Old Testament prefiguration, the new life of the newly-born Chosen People is symbolized by the children being washed and drinking from the spring.
The colours chosen for the Old Testament scenes are luminous: white, light yellow-ochre and light red-ochre. These colours contrast with the bright, intense and rich colours used for the New Testament scenes. There is something like a chromatic rhythm formed by the Old and New Testament scenes, as ITI’s chaplain Rev. Juraj Terek has put it, which suggests the prefiguration and promise of the Old Testament and the fulfilment of this promise of salvation in the New Testament.
The last scene represented is that of Christ the Good Shepherd, placed in the room for the children of the Good-Shepherd Catechesis. This scene was inspired by the earliest Christian iconography in the Catacombs. It combines the Christian representation of the personified virtue of philantropia (the shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders) and that idea of Christ as Orpheus, who, according to saint Clement of Alexandria, tames the animals (the human passions) with the sound of his lyre and of his voice (the preaching of the Good News). As in the 6th century mosaics of Ravenna, Christ is depicted as a beardless young shepherd who gathers the sheep around Him, providing the nourishment of the green pastures for them. The tree loaded with fruits, the flowers, and the birds with colourful plumage complete the Paradise environment, announcing the new creation brought about by Christ the Saviour.”
We are grateful to Fr. Ioan Gotia, Fr. Juraj Terek and all our benefactors and founders who made this sacred place possible. May the Lord remember them and all the members of this holy church in His Kingdom!
Quick facts about the ITI Byzantine Chapel: The project started in 2012. The first phase of the restoration of this center of liturgical life for our community was completed between 2013 and 2015. The first set of iconographic work was done during the first half of 2014. The solemn consecration of the altar and the dedication of the Chapel took place on the eve of the feast of the ITI Patron, Saint Therese of Lisieux, and the ITI’s twentieth anniversary, on September 30, 2016.
You can read the interview with Fr. Ioan Gotia, dcjm on the iconography of the ITI Byzantine Chapel taken during the first phase of writing icons in 2014 HERE.