As one enters through the main doors [of the nave], he will first notice the gold glittering in the candlelight. From the ceiling hang several chandeliers... Icons surround the nave, adorning the solid iconostasis and walls... On either side of the cross-shaped nave are rows of wooden stalls where monks stand offering their praises to God. The hauntingly beautiful Byzantine hymns ring through the church in the rich timbre of deep male voices. The polyphonic chant keeps one's ears dancing to either side of the room, while his eyes gaze through the hazy candlelight to the royal doors.
There is a strange admixture of motion and stasis in the Byzantine worship. The droning isson gives one a sense of stability, while the intricate melodies manifest the dynamic character of Christian devotion. The gaze of the icons seems eternal and unchanging, yet inviting one into a never-ending dialogue. The rituals and actions of the liturgy are repetitive and established, yet each movement is offered deliberately as if for the first time. This is the 'magic' and beauty of the Liturgy. It is truly "heaven on earth."
Resurrection Icon
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