Frescoes in the Russian Orthodox Church

[Greg McKinney]

I hope this is the right place to ask this question!

I visited a Russian Orthodox Church recently and was greatly impressed by the icon frescoes - people who rave about St. Peter's in Rome must not have ever visited a Russian Orthodox Church!


But I wonder - what is the significance or explanation of the painted hanging sheets on the lower section of the walls all around the interior? I asked a person there, but could not really overcome the language barrier, it seems, and don't know if I even was understood. I certainly didn't understand the answer, anyway.

Greg

[Irene]

Dear Greg,

Which Church did you visit, which country? Here in Australia there are usually people who speak English available at Church to ask questions, the best person to ask is the Priest. Hopefully a Priest or some other knowledgeable person will answer your question soon.

However for a lot of us on this list we are just coming up to our Christmas/Nativity so we are getting busy cleaning our Churches and our homes attending extra services etc., so you may have to check back a couple of times to see if there is an answer. I'll try and remember to ask my own Priest and get back to you if there is no answer in the mean time.

It is overwhelmingly beautiful in some of the Orthodox Cathedrals and Churches, when I first converted I kept looking up at the icons while attending services, I couldn't help myself. I was use to the very simple Presbyterian Churches.

In Christ
irene

This isn't answering your question but is an interesting article on iconography. http://www.comeandseeicons.com/goltzessay.htm

[Irene]

I'm sorry Greg, I have not been able to come up with an answer for you, not yet anyway. ... Irene

[Basil Shannon]

Greg,

I recently visited a nice Russian parish in OKC, which is currently having frescos painted on its walls. The lower half of the walls also have the painted holy napkins with geometric designs inside. Someone there told me that was done because they cannot paint icons below waist level, which makes practical sense.

Basil