Liturghie și artă sacră
Liturgy and Sacred Art

Summary/Abstract: The iconographic program of Transylvanian churches was designed to celebrate the Byzantine Rite Liturgy. The scenes depicted in mural paintings and icons held specific significance for the viewer, depending on their placement within the liturgical space: in the apse, the nave, or the narthex. Throughout most of the time spent in church, the faithful's attention is drawn to the iconostasis, rich in New Testament iconography. The apse is the space where the Liturgy is celebrated, involving both the officiating priest and the hierarchs depicted in the lower parts of the walls and the angelic hosts painted on the vault. The nave is a veritable illustrated Bible, presenting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Scenes from the Passion of Christ parallel depictions from Genesis, all under the watchful gaze of the Pantocrator, rendered in the dome – in stone churches – or the central upper part of the semi-cylindrical vault – in wooden churches. At the end of the Liturgy, the faithful move toward the church exit, passing through the narthex, whose walls often depict the Last Judgment.

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