The Garments of Salvation
Page 13
Paraments Piece by Piece
Antimension
Figure 1. Modern Antimension (photo used with permission of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Greenville, SC).
Historically speaking, one of the earliest textile pieces used in Orthodox Christian worship is the antimension, a rectangular piece of cloth which from ancient times served as a portable holy table cloth that could be folded up, transported easily, and laid out on any table, thereby making it suitable for the celebration of the Mysteries of Christ. While some authors have speculated that this piece was formerly embellished with embroidery, this theory is problematic because a cloth covered with raised surface embroidery would not function well liturgically, potentially causing a chalice to tip or trapping small particles of the consecrated bread in its intricate threads.8 The decorations on the antimension, which were most likely painted, seem to have begun with a simple “IC XC NIKA” monogram around a cross and an inscription by the hand of the consecrating bishop. In accord with its use as a portable holy table, relics would be sewn into the antimension. Eventually, other liturgical motifs were added to the decoration, such as the lance and the sponge of the Passion. In current usage the antimension is usually adorned with the design scheme of the epitaphios threnos (“lamentations at the tomb”) which includes the lifeless body of Christ, the Theotokos, the Apostle John, St Nicodemus, St Joseph of Arimathea, angels, and the symbols of the four Evangelists.
The current antimension differs little from its historical antecedents. It is a painted or silk-screened piece of cloth that features the epitaphios threnos. The design is printed in either black or multiple colors on a light-colored silk or linen background fabric and the cloth is consecrated and signed by the diocesan bishop of the local church.9 Modern antimensia may have relics enclosed within their seams, but this is not a universal practice.
Katasarkion
As soon as early Christian communities were able to establish and consecrate permanent holy tables on which to serve the Divine Liturgy (like the holy table that undoubtedly stood in the house church at Dura Europos), these altar tables began to be vested with specific cloths. The earliest permanent covering for the holy table is the katasarkion, a white linen cloth draped over the table and secured with tightly bound cords. This cloth began as a symbol of the linen in which Christ’s body was wrapped for burial but, as with so many things in Orthodox Christian tradition, it has taken on additional layers of symbolic meaning throughout the centuries and so is sometimes also referred to as the baptismal garment of the altar.
Endytei (Altar Cloth)
The more elaborate cloth placed over the katasarkion has historically borne many names, most prominently,“endytei,” but in English is typically referred to simply as an “altar cloth.” This elaborate cloth, made from either woven or embroidered textiles was already in established use by the late sixth century and, given our exploration of early Christian worship and the late-antique world’s use of textiles, quite likely to have been in use centuries earlier.
Of all of the paraments in an Orthodox Christian church, the altar cloth stands at the very center, both liturgically and physically, being symbolically the resurrectional garment of the risen Christ and adorning the most prominent furnishing in the church, the holy table upon which the Eucharist is celebrated. Due to this elevated and honored position, the altar cloth should be the most elaborate parament within the church building, featuring elaborate embroidery work (either hand-embroidery or machine-embroidery) and the highest quality materials such as real metal brocades, velvets, and silks. The tradition of outfitting the holy table in such a regal and awe-inspiring fashion can be firmly traced as far back as the reconstruction of the dome of Agia Sophia in AD 562. At the rededication of the great cathedral, an officer of the imperial household, Paul the Silentiary, delivered a famous encomium in praise of the building’s architecture and decoration, in which he describes in lavish detail the altar cloth adorning the holy table of what was, at the time, the most admired and influential church building in the whole world. Given the sheer splendor of the cloth he chronicles, it is worth recounting his description in full:
Whither am I carried? Whither tends my unbridled speech? Let my bold voice be restrained with silent lip lest I lay bare what the eyes are not permitted to see. But ye priests, as the sacred laws command you, spread out with your hands the veil dipped in the purple dye of the Sidonian shell and cover the top of the table. Unfold the cover along its four sides and show to the countless crowd the gold and the bright designs of skilful handiwork. One side is adorned with Christ’s venerable form. This has been fashioned not by artists’ skilful hands plying the knife, nor by the needle driven through cloth, but by the web, the produce of the foreign worm, changing its colored threads of many shades. Upon the divine legs is a garment reflecting a golden glow under the rays of rosy fingered Dawn, and a chiton, dyed purple by the Tyrian seashell, covers the right shoulder beneath its well-woven fabric; for at that point the upper garment has slipped down while, pulled up across the side, it envelops the left shoulder. The forearm and hand are thus laid bare. He seems to be stretching out the fingers of the right hand, as if preaching His immortal words, while in His left He holds the book of divine message—the book that tells what He, the Lord, accomplished with provident mind when His foot trod the earth. The whole robe shines with gold: for on it gold leaf has been wrapped round thread after the manner of a pipe or a reed, and so it projects above the lovely cloth, firmly bound with silken thread by sharp needles. On either side stand two of God’s messengers: Paul, replete with divine wisdom, and the mighty doorkeeper of the gates of heaven [St Peter] who binds with both heavenly and earthly bonds. One holds the book pregnant with holy ordinance, the other the form of the cross on a golden staff. And both the cunning web has clothed in robes woven of silver; while rising above their immortal heads a golden temple enfolds them with three noble arches fixed on four columns of gold. And on the hem of the veil shot with gold, art has figured the countless deeds of the Emperors, guardians of the city: here you may see hospitals for the sick, there sacred fanes [churches]. And elsewhere are displayed the miracles of heavenly Christ, a work suffused with beauty. And upon other veils you may see the monarchs joined together, here by the hand of Mary, the Mother of God, there by that of Christ, and all is adorned with the sheen of golden thread. Thus is everything clothed in beauty; everything fills the eye with wonder.10
The “purple dye of the Sidonian shell” refers to the color of the background cloth of the altar covering, a color akin to that which we call “burgundy,” profoundly esteemed for its rich hue and great value (see Chapter Five for more information on Tyrian purple). From the limited record of extant, old iconography, it can be surmised that this deep, red-burgundy color was from early times considered most appropriate for altar cloths. The fresco icons of the ordination of St Nicholas in Agios Nicholaos Orphanos in Thessaloniki, the fresco icon of the Communion of the Apostles in Agia Ekaterina in Thessaloniki, as well as the mosaic icons of Abel and Melchisidek in San Vitale in Ravenna all depict altar tables with cloth of this color, a traditional use still to be observed throughout the Church worldwide as altar cloths are most frequently made from burgundy or deep red fabrics.
Paul the Silentiary’s account describes the cloth as being made from woven silk, “by the web, the produce of the foreign worm” and augmented by metal-thread embroidery work: “The whole robe shines with gold: for on it gold leaf has been wrapped round thread after the manner of a pipe or a reed, and so it projects above the lovely cloth, firmly bound with silken thread by sharp needles.” This astounding outlay of some of the most costly materials known in human history along with the great number of figures and scenes described attests to this cloth’s superior workmanship and its surely astonishing beauty.
From the Silentiary’s comments and other historical evidence, it seems certain that both woven and embroidered iconography and decoration were used for altar cloths and ot
her paraments.11 This is not surprising given the overall scheme of adornment within an Orthodox Church: with the mystical understanding that the physical church serves as a meeting place between heaven and earth, it would be deemed right and proper that multiple surfaces—from walls to domes to tables themselves—should be covered in various iconographic media, placing before the viewer a material image of the spiritual reality of the presence of holy saints and angels and calling to mind that he was no longer “in the world” but in the Kingdom of Heaven.
While modern altar cloths can rarely be made from the kind of materials and with the impressive workmanship of the Agia Sophia altar cloth, they are still made from ornate materials and finishings in a similar design and with similar motifs. In current usage, varieties of altar cloths have developed, but all these variations can still trace their origins back to the cloth described above and its contemporaries.
There are currently two basic styles of altar cloth used in North America: the fully dressed altar cloth, which is comprised of a bottom and a top cloth, and an abbreviated form in which only the top cloth is utilized. The fully dressed altar cloth begins with a cross-shaped cloth that has a center square or rectangle (depending on the dimensions of the holy table) to which four panels are attached forming the “arms” of the cross. This bottom cloth is centered over the katasarkion after which the panels hang down each side of the holy table and are held in place with buttons and loops, much like the description given above: “Unfold the cover along its four sides and show to the countless crowd the gold and the bright designs of skilful handiwork.” The front of this cloth is typically highly embellished and features a central motif, usually a cross surrounded by an arch of grapevines or floral work, with additional similar decoration around the entire perimeter of this panel. The three other sides of the cloth are generally left unadorned since they are not visible from the nave. Once this bottom cloth has been placed upon the table, a matching top cloth is placed over it and this cloth covers the entire top of the holy table and hangs down on each side six to twelve inches. This top cloth is decorated similarly to the bottom cloth around its entire perimeter and typically finished with galloon and fringe around the perimeter and a heavy bullion tassel at each corner. When so arranged, the bottom and top cloth are viewed as a “set,” but, occasionally, a multi-purpose ivory-colored or gold-colored bottom cloth can be used with variously colored coordinating top cloths that may be changed depending on the liturgical season.
In the case of the abbreviated form, only the top cloth is placed upon the altar table and the bottom cloth is omitted. This style of covering is most often used when there is some kind of adornment on the holy table itself, such as iconography, carved marble, or mosaic work which would be hidden by a bottom cloth. While both styles are used in North America, generally speaking the abbreviated top cloth is used most often in Greek practice and the fully dressed style is used most often in Russian practice (although this is beginning to change as the fully dressed style is gaining favor in North American Greek practice due to a greater interchange between America and Greece—in Greece the fully dressed altar is the prevalent style).
One additional, but infrequently used, style of holy table cloth is that in which a single top cloth hangs all the way to the floor (instead of the set of separate bottom and top cloths) and is finished with galloon around its perimeter. This style creates an attractive “pooling” of fabric at the corners of the holy table, but is not often used due to its expense (even a standard 42-inch by 42-inch altar would require a ten-and-a-half foot square altar cloth made from eleven yards of fabric).
Figure 2. Fully dressed altar cloth.
Regardless of the style employed, it is imperative and in keeping with Orthodox Christian tradition that parish communities use the finest materials and finishings for their altar cloths so that “Thus is everything clothed in beauty; everything fills the eye with wonder.”12
Figure 3. Top cloth altar cloth, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Libertyville, IL.
Eiliton
With the flowering of Christian architecture, the holy table was no longer dependent upon the small, portable antimension, but became a permanent, consecrated piece of furniture within the church, adorned with its own katasarkion and endytei. Because this endytei, or altar cloth, was made from elaborate materials and was thus difficult to remove from the holy table, for practicality’s sake a linen top cloth was placed upon it to catch any stray particles of Holy Communion. This linen cloth, called the “eiliton,” was made from white linen and finished without elaborate decoration so that it could be easily gathered up from the table and cleaned as needed. In practical terms it served, on a consecrated holy table, a purpose analogous to that of the antimension on an unconsecrated table, i.e., a cloth that reverently contains and preserves any spilled elements of Holy Communion.
In the present day there is much confusion regarding the eiliton and its relationship to the antimension. Historically speaking, when the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on a consecrated holy table the presence of an eiliton was deemed sufficient, whereas when the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on an unconsecrated table an antimension was required. In modern usage, however, it has become customary to use the antimension at every Divine Liturgy, even on a consecrated holy table (though this practice might seem strange from a historical perspective as it is the layering of a portable, consecrated table cloth upon a permanent, consecrated table). The modern antimension has come to be understood as making the altar table complete and no Orthodox Christian Liturgy can be served without it. The term eiliton has thus come to refer to a cloth that wraps the antimension when folded and lies under it when unfolded, still serving the same purpose of catching stray portions of Communion, but often made from a double layer of burgundy satin and, occasionally, permanently sewn to the antimension. In an alternative (and sometimes parallel) usage, the term eiliton has also come to be applied to a white linen cloth made to cover the entire top of the altar table (usually finished with a small border of either hand-made or machine-made white lace) which serves to protect the endytei and which may be removed and cleaned as necessary.
Gospel Cover
The Gospel cover is a liturgical parament of modern usage that covers the Gospel book (and sometimes also the blessing cross) when the holy table is not in use. It is either a 24-inch by 24-inch square, or a 24-inch by 36-inch rectangle. It is finished with galloon around the perimeter and a cross is either sewn or embroidered in the center of the piece (no fringe is used). The Gospel cover is made to match or complement the holy table cover.
Figure 4. Gospel Cover.
Liturgical Veils
Once the holy table is vested, the next liturgical cloths which come into use are the aeres, in present day referred to collectively as a “chalice veil set” or “kalymmata set.” Originally, these were named “the great aer” and the “little aeres,” with the little aeres being further delineated as the diskokalymmata (cover for the diskos) and the potirokalymmata (cover for the chalice).
To properly discuss these pieces, we need to examine them separately—first the little aeres and then the great aer. Due to their smaller size the little aeres, now referred to as “kalymmata,” “veils,” or “chalice veils,” were in past times often lavished with embroidery. The Communion of the Apostles was a favorite early design scheme. Later it was replaced in prominence with a depiction of the infant Christ laid in the diskos, known as the “amnos” or “Lamb of God.”13 The veils served not only a liturgical function but also a practical one by protecting the sacred bread and wine from any kind of pest or contaminant.
While the little aeres had a circumscribed purpose—covering the holy vessels—and thus could not develop in size given the limitations of this usage, the great aer (today referred to simply as the “aer”) became larger in size and more lavishly ornamented and developed into two distinct variations with separate uses, the aer and the epitaphios (which will be described below). The firs
t use of the aer was identical to its current usage: practically, as a protective cloth to cover the Holy Gifts as they rest upon the prothesis table and, later in the Liturgy, upon the holy table and, liturgically, draped over the shoulders of the deacon during the Procession of the Holy Gifts during the Divine Liturgy. Historically, this cloth often had a design of the Body of Christ attended by angels. There are a number of extant aers that feature lavish hand-embroidery work, their size making them an ideal canvas and their liturgical use making them an appropriate venue for intricate ornamentation.
Hand-embroidered aers or veils, such as the historical examples described above, are now the exception rather than the rule. Modern chalice veil sets are often made from the same types of brocades and machine-embroidered fabrics as the vestments of the priest. While historical chalice veil sets were seen as “stand-alone” pieces due to their intricacy and great worth, modern chalice veil sets follow one of two paths: they are either made to match the priest’s vestments (this is far more common in Russian practice) or they are made to match or coordinate with the altar cloths. Given their historical development, the latter seems to be the more traditional approach. A chalice veil “set” consists of one aer with a matching diskos veil and a matching chalice veil with all pieces being finished with either galloon and fringe, or simply fringe (as is the case with the majority of the velvet, machine-embroidered type). In Greek practice, the aer has ribbons sewn to the top corners that allow it to be tied around the shoulders for the Great Entrance whereas Russian practice omits the ribbons in favor of draping the aer over the shoulder of the deacon or (in the absence of a deacon) the arm of the presbyter.