BO O K
III.
upper horizontal, the lower inclining; which, according to
j the fuppolition of many Ruffians, is fuppofed to have been
the form of the real crofs, and that our Saviour was nailed to
it with his arms in an horizontal pofition, and one of the legs
higher than the other. I frequently obferved a crefcent
under the lower bar, the meaning of which no one could
explain
The infide of the church is moftly compofed of three
parts; that called by the Greeks rgovuos, by the Ruffians
Trapeza ; the body ; and the fandtuary or ffirine.
In the body of the church there are frequently four
fquare pillars, very thick and heavy, for the purpofe of
fupporting the cupola: thefe pillars, as well as the walls
and cielings,. are painted with innumerable reprefentations
of our Saviour, the Virgin Mary, and of different faints.
Many of the figures are enormouily large, and are executed
in the rudeft manner; fome are daubed upon the bare
walls; others upon large maffive plates of filver or brafs,,.
or enclofed in frames of thofe metals. The head of each*
figure is invariably decked with a glory; which is a m a f f y
femicircle, greatly refembling an horfe-ffioe, of brafs, filver,
or gold, and fometimes compofed almoft entirely of pearls*
and precious ftones. Some of the favourite faints are-
adorned with filken drapery fattened , to the walls, and
ftudded with jewels; fome are painted upon a gold ground,
and others are gilded in all parts but their face and hands.
* Dr. King accounts for the crefcent in
the following ingenious manner. “ Some
“ churches have a crefcent under the crofs;
** for when the Tartars, to whom Mufcovy
** was fubjeded two hundred years, eon-
i l verted any o f the churches into mofques
** for the ufe of their own religion, they
“ fixed the crefcent, the badge o f Mahome-
“ tanifm upon them : and when the grand*
“■ duke Ivan. Bafilovitch had delivered his
“ country from the Tartar yoke, and re-
“ ftored thofe edifices to the Chriftian wor*
|f ihip, he left the crefcent remaining, and
“ planted a crofs upon it as a mark of its-
“ victory over its enemy.” Rites and Ceremonies
o f the Greek Church, p. 23.
Towards
Towards the extremity of the body of the church is a flight CHAP-
of fteps leading to the ihrine; and between thefe fteps and >■ '
the ihrine is ufually a platform, upon which the officiating
liiiuifter Hands and performs part of the fervice.
The ffirine or fanituary is divided from the body of the
church by the Iconajtus, or ikreen, generally the part the
moft richly ornamented, and on which the moft holy pictures
are painted or hung *. In its centre are the folding, called
the holy, royal, or beautiful doors, which lead to the ffirine,
within which is the holy table, as Dr. King well defcribes it,
“ with four fmall columns to fupport a canopy over it;
“ from which zperijier ion,or dove, is fufpended, as a fymbol
“ of the Holy Ghoft ; upon the holy table the crofs is always
“ laid,, and the Gofpel, and the pyxis,-or box, in which a
“ part of the confecrated elements is preferved, for vifiting
“ the lick, or other purpofes f
It is contrary to the tenets o f the Greek religion to admit
a carved image within the churches, in conformity to the
prohibition in Scripture, “ Thou ihalt not make to thyfelf a
“ graven image,” &c. By not confidering, however, the
prohibition as extending to reprefentations by painting, the
Greek canonifts, while they have followed the letter, have
departed from the fpirit of the commandment, which poli-
tively forbids us to worlhip the likenefs of any thing under
whatever form, or in whatever manner it may be delineated :
for if we transfer our adoration from the Creator to any obv
“ On the north-fideof the royal doors *| Jefus and the Virgin, andfeveral others,
“ the pidure o f the Virgin is always-placed-, “ and fometimes kept perpetually burnino.” '
and that o f Jefus on the fouth; next to D r . King on--the Greek Church, p. 29; to
which is that o f the faint to whom the which book I would refer the reader who *
‘ c^urch is dedicated ; the fituation o f the defires further information*on the fubjed—
4 reft is indifferent. Candles or lamps are • j-. Ibid.. p.. 2&>. -
‘ ufually fufpended before the images o f *
jedli