A brief explanation of the Three Holy Week Icons of Christ

[Michael G]

There are three Holy Week icons of Christ which often get confused.

The first is The Bridegroom. This is the icon for Sunday Night of Holy Week starting with Bridegroom Matins, through Thursday night when the Crucifixion is read during the 12 Gospels service. In this icon Christ is depicted alive, wearing a scarlet or purple robe, with a crown of thorns on his head, his hands bound and a reed in his hand. This icon is taken from the Gospel of Matthew:

Matt. 27: 27-31
[27] Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. [28] And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, [29] and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" [30] And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. [31] And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

 

[Michael G]

Lament Me Not O Mother is the second Holy Week Icon. In this icon the dead Christ stands in the tomb, with a cross behind him and the Theotokos embracing him. This is the icon for Friday Lamentations.

Do not lament me, O Mother, seeing me in the tomb, for I shall arise and be eternally glorified as God.
I shall exalt all who magnify you in faith and in love.

I did not paint this icon of Lament Me Not O Mother, but am using it for illustrative purposes.

 

[Michael G]

The third icon, Extreme Humility, is a variation of Lament Me Not O Mother in which the Theotokos is not present.

I did not paint this icon of Extreme Humility, but am using it for illustrative purposes.

 

[ProScribe]

I would sign up for the basics 101 in iconography.

 

[Michael G]

I would sign up for the basics 101 in iconography.

Unfortunately, even the seminaries do not teach that class to would be priests.

 

[MKJ]

Unfortunately, even the seminaries do not teach that class to would be priests.

Oh dear.

My parish priest is thinking of having a series of study groups on icons for our parish, with the idea that we would then look to start using icons in our parish. (Right now we have a very spare, almost image-less building.) I'm not sure who he is thinking to get to do the classes, but I am really looking forward to it.

 

[Michael G]

Oh dear.

My parish priest is thinking of having a series of study groups on icons for our parish, with the idea that we would then look to start using icons in our parish. (Right now we have a very spare, almost image-less building.) I'm not sure who he is thinking to get to do the classes, but I am really looking forward to it.

Excellent!

 

[ArmyMatt]

thanks Mike!

 

[Michael G]

You're welcome, Matt!

 

[MKJ]

Excellent!

I think so - I am hoping it won't cause some sort of controversy - I think he's planning to start small.

 

[Ortho_Cat]

I think so - I am hoping it won't cause some sort of controversy - I think he's planning to start small.

Well, just so long as people don't start kissing them!

 

[SpiritlMuse]

Thank you for explaining these wonderful icons. Being new icons are a beautiful new world for me, to the point that I have purchased a couple of books on them.

 

[Michael G]

Well, just so long as people don't start kissing them!

As a Roman Catholic I cringed at the idea of kissing statues. As an Orthodox (and a Byz Catholic before that) I kiss every icon I see!

 

[MKJ]

Well, just so long as people don't start kissing them!

Ha, I can't see that - we're too Anglo to go around doing a lot of kissing, of anyone. I suspect that some of the parishioners would politely shake Jesus' hand if they met him - they wouldn't want to embarrass him with a show of emotion.

Though we do have a stature of St Paul that is part of a lectern, and the pre-school kids really like to lay the smooches on him. The poor fellow almost needs a bath towel afterward.

 

[Gwendolyn]

Christ the Bridegroom is one of my favourite icons. I would be very blessed to own one someday.

 

[Michael G]

Christ the Bridegroom is one of my favourite icons. I would be very blessed to own one someday.

I am painting an 18x24 Bridegroom this week that will be included in a "show" on Friday. It must be one of my favorites as well, because this is the 3rd time I have painted it. Although my favorite is the Mandylion, and I have lost track of how many dozen times I have painted it.