Everyone who has ever been to an Orthodox church has seen double doors opposite the Throne, leading to the altar and symbolizing the gates of Paradise. This is the Royal Gate. They are a kind of legacy that has been preserved from early Christian times, when the altar was separated from the rest of the temple by two columns, or a low barrier. After the church schism, the barrier was preserved only in some Catholic churches, while in the Orthodox churches, having changed, it turned into an iconostasis.
Icons on the gates of Paradise
Royal doors in the temple are decorated with icons, the selection of which is regulated by established tradition. Usually these are images of the four evangelists and the scene of the Annunciation. The symbolic meaning of this combination is quite obvious - Archangel Michael announces with his Gospel that the doors of Paradise are open again, and the Holy Gospel indicates the path leading to it. However, this is just a tradition, not a law requiring strict observance.
Sometimes the Holy Doors are decorated differently, and if they are low doors, they often do not have any icons at all. Also, due to the tradition that has developed in Orthodox churches, to the left ofon the royal doors they place the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, and on the opposite side - the Savior, followed by the icon of the saint or holiday in whose honor the church was consecrated.
Decorations placed on the Royal Doors of the side aisles and above them
If the temple is large enough, and in addition to the main altar has two more aisles, then often the gates of one of them are decorated only with the image of the Annunciation in growth, and the other - with four evangelists. But this does not always allow the size that certain royal doors of the iconostasis in the church have. Evangelists in this case can be depicted as symbols. People close to the church know that the symbol of the Evangelist Matthew is an angel, Luke is a calf, Mark is a lion and John is an eagle.
Church tradition also defines images above the Royal Doors. In most cases, this is the scene of the Last Supper, but often there is also the Communion of the Apostles with Jesus Christ, which is called the Eucharist, as well as the Old Testament or New Testament Trinity, decorating the Royal Doors. Photos of these design options can be seen in this article.
Features of manufacturing and design of the Royal Doors
At all times, the architects involved in their creation have opened wide creative possibilities. In addition to the appearance, design and decoration, the result of the work largely depended on what the Royal Doors were made of. When visiting temples, one can see that a wide variety of materials were used for their manufacture, such as wood, iron, porcelain, marble, and even ordinarystone. Sometimes the preference given to one of them was determined by the artistic intent of the author, and sometimes by the availability of one or another material.
The Royal Doors are the entrance to Paradise. Usually they are the most decorated part of the iconostasis. For their design, various types of carving and gilding can be used, images of grape bunches and paradise animals become frequent subjects. There are also Royal Doors, made in the form of the Heavenly City of Jerusalem. In this case, all icons are placed in shrines-temples topped with cupolas with crosses. There are many design options, but in all cases the gates are located strictly in the middle of the iconostasis, and behind them is the throne, and even further - the mountainous place.
Origin of the name
They got their name from the fact that, according to the dogma, during Holy Communion it is through them that the King of Glory Jesus Christ invisibly comes out to the laity. However, this name exists only in Russian Orthodoxy, while in the Greek churches they are called "Saints". In addition, the name "King's Doors" has deep historical roots.
In the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion and came out of the underground, by order of the emperors, services in Roman cities were transferred from private houses to basilicas, which were the largest public buildings. They usually housed courts and trading exchanges.
Since only the emperor and the head of the community, the bishop, had the privilege to enter through the main entrance,these gates were called "Royal". Only these persons, being the most honored participants in the prayer service, had the right to solemnly proceed through them into the room. For everyone else, there were side doors. Over time, when altars were formed in Orthodox churches, this name was transferred to the double-leaf door leading to them.
Shaping the altar in its modern form
As evidenced by the results of research, the formation of the altar part of the temples in the form in which it exists now was a very long process. It is known that at first it was separated from the main room only by low partitions, and later by curtains called "katapetasma". This name has been preserved for them to this day.
At some moments of the service, for example, during the consecration of the Gifts, the veils were closed, although they were often dispensed with without them. In general, in documents dating back to the first millennium, mention of them is quite rare, and only much later they became an integral part of the Royal Doors, they began to be decorated with images of the Virgin and various saints.
A funny episode related to the use of the veil can be found in the life of Basil the Great, who lived in the 4th century. It says that the saint was forced to introduce this attribute, which he had not used before, only because his deacon constantly looked at the women present in the temple, which clearly violated the solemnity of the service.
The symbolic meaning of the Royal Doors
But Roy althe gates in the church, the photos of which are presented in the article, are not a common element of the interior layout. Since the altar behind them symbolizes Paradise, their semantic load lies in the fact that they represent the entrance to it. In Orthodox worship, this meaning is fully reflected.
For example, at the Vespers and All-Night Vigil, at the moment when the Royal Doors are opened, a light is lit in the temple, which symbolizes its filling with heavenly light. All those present at this time bow to the waist. They do the same for other services. In addition, in the Orthodox tradition, passing by the Royal Doors, it is customary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross and bow. During the entire Paschal week - Bright Week - the Royal Doors in the temple (photo at the end of the article) do not close, since Jesus Christ, with his suffering on the cross, death and subsequent resurrection, opened the doors of Paradise for us.
Some church rules on this topic
According to the established rules, only clergymen are allowed to enter the royal doors of the iconostasis in the church, and only during divine services. At normal times, they are required to use the so-called deacon's doors, located in the northern and southern parts of the iconostasis.
When a bishop's service is performed, only the subdeacons or sextons open and close the Royal Doors, but they are not allowed to stand in front of the Throne, and, having entered the altar, they take places on either side of it. the bishopalso has the exclusive right to enter the altar unclothed outside of services.
The liturgical purpose of the Royal Doors
During the Liturgy, the Royal Doors play a very important role. Suffice it to mention the Small Entrance, when the Gospel taken from the Throne is brought in through the Deacon's Gate, and carried back to the altar through the Royal Gate. This action has a deep dogmatic meaning. On the one hand, it symbolizes the Incarnation, as a result of which the world found the Savior, and on the other hand, the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ.
The next time a procession of clergy follows through them during the Great Entrance, accompanied by the performance of the Cherubic Hymn. The laity present in the temple is given a Cup of wine - the future blood of Christ. In addition, in the hands of the priest is a diskos (dish) on which is the Lamb - the bread that will be incarnated in the Body of Christ.
The most common interpretation of this rite is that the procession symbolizes the carrying of Christ, who was taken down from the cross and died, as well as his position in the tomb. The continuation of the Great Entrance is the reading of the Eucharistic Prayers, after which the Gifts will become the Blood and Body of Christ. For the communion of the laity, they are also taken out through the Royal Doors. The meaning of the Eucharist lies precisely in the fact that the Savior is resurrected in the Holy Gifts, and those who partake of them become heirs of Eternal Life.
Preserved shrines
There are many cases when the Royal Doors as a shrinepassed from one temple to another. This happened especially often during the years of perestroika, when they were taken out of churches destroyed by the communists and secretly preserved by believers, they were installed in the iconostases of new, recently rebuilt churches, or those that had been restored after many years of desolation.
