Chandalier required in Byzantine church?

[TotalResolve]

Hello. Is a chandelier required in a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic parish in front of the altar, sorta above the iconstasis? Not the perpetual light that signals the respose of the Blessed Sacrament but a chandelier as one might see in a Greek Orthodox parish?

Where is this sorta liturgical information codified? Thank you. Many years…

 

[Patchunky]

Hello. Is a chandelier required in a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic parish in front of the altar, sorta above the iconstasis? Not the perpetual light that signals the respose of the Blessed Sacrament but a chandelier as one might see in a Greek Orthodox parish?

Where is this sorta liturgical information codified? Thank you. Many years…

No, it isn’t. It’s more or less a “tradition” as the Ruthenian and Ukrainian parishes in Europe were very small and wooden and had very small windows. The chandelier with all it’s candles is what provided the light for the services.

With electricity being available in abundance in this country, they still kept the chandelier but electrified them.

There is Ruthenian Catholic parish in Pittsburgh’s South Side that still has a candle powered chandelier and they still lower the chandelier and light the candles when they sing the lamp lighter’s song during Vespers.

Hope this helps…

 

[Volodymyr]

LUSTERS CHURCH

There are two important lusters in church - one which is usually in circle in center is usually called panikadilo which is a chandelier and contains more than 12 candles and may be many leveled - reflecting that there are numbers of angel choirs. Sometimes to side or in center in smaller church is a polikadkilo which has less than 12 but more than 7 candles. Traditional round like wheel chandelier called Khoros. All candles on all church lusters must be lit during Resurrection and Festival liturgies.

Second important luster is the semisvechnik which contains seven candles behind the Holy Throne. This was commanded by God to be in Temple and now in Christian temples.
http://www.zao-grant.ru/hram/images/horos_mini.jpg Khoros (panikadilo)
http://www.greenray.org/img/6.jpg Semisvechnik behind Holy Throne

 

[Diak]

St. Elias Church in Brampton, Ontario also uses a candle-lit chandelier. saintelias.com/ca/index.php

In Greek terminology it is sometimes also called the polyeleos and it is actually swung in some monasteries during certain parts of the service.

There are some beautiful chandeliers out there. The ones at St. Nicholas Cathedral (UGCC) in Chicago and two blocks away at Sts. Volodymyr and Olha UGCC are both incredible.