speciale vents - St. Gregorios Church

THE CHURCH
This Syrian icon represents the Church in heaven
and the Church on earth. Christ the Pantocrator,
Lord of all, is seated in glory, holding in His lap
with His left hand the Church and with His right
hand gives blessing. The throne of God is supported
by the Cherubim and symbols of the Gospel writers
(man, lion, ax and eagle). Under this is written the
song of the Cherubim, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” written
in Syriac. Between heaven and earth stand the
heavenly priests with incense representing the
prayers of the Saints, holding harps and scrolls to
represent liturgical worship. In the lower portion
of the icon is an ancient Syriac representation of
the Communion of the Apostles –the Holy Qurbana
- representing the Mystery of Christ, His Church
and the Sacraments. The 6-winged Seraphim
symbolize the joining of heaven and earth during
Qurbana. On the left is St. Mary, the Theotokos
and on the right is the symbolic representation of
the Church as a Tree in the Garden of the Beloved
described in an old Syriac hymn. In the branches of
this tree are the psalms and the prophecies, the
Apostles and Martyrs, who shed their blood for the
faith.