Iconostasis Question from a Latin Rite Catholic

[JS_Cortez]

Hello everybody.

I’ve begun to study Eastern Catholicism. I’ve been looking at iconostasises (iconostasi?) and I’ve learned that they at least have to an Icon of the Theotokos and one of Christ flanking the entrance to the altar.

Now this going to sound like the most Latin rite question ever, but are there any rules about the appearance of these icons? Like does the Theotokos always have to be holding the Child Jesus and does Christ always need to be holding the book I’ve seen him with, or is there more freedom to the choice of icon?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mary888]

Theotokos is always holding Christ, she is positioned at the left as you look at the Altar. Her icon represents not just hee but Christ and how He came the first time. Christ is positioned at the right, He usually holds His book with a quote from NT. His icon represents His Second Coming, as the Right Judge.
The curtain in the middle depicts the Announciation or is simply red (the curtain at the Temple was red). On top of the curtain there is an icon of the Last Supper and the Twelve Apostles.
At the bottom going from center to left - Theotokos with Child, Archangel Michael (usually, Gabriel sometimes atypically replaces Him), important saints. Going from the center to the right - Christ, Archangel Gabriel (usually, Michael sometimes instead), important Saints. On either side St. John the Baptist can be found (since he is third in importance after Christ and Theotokos).
On top of the Apostles there are women at the left and men and the right. Usually the holy and righteous parents of Thetokos - St. Anne at the left holding baby Theotokos and St. Joseph at the right.
People are traditionally positioned in the church also following the icons of the Iconostasis - women at the left and men on the right. But these days people just sit or stand wherever they please even though more women will be at the left and more men at the right.

 

[ziapueblo]

I would also add that most often, to the right of the Theotokos, is the patron saint of the parish. For example, my parish is St George Greek Orthodox Church, so to the left of the Theotokos is an icon of St George on the iconostasis. To the right of St George is the archangel Gabriel. To the right of Christ is St John the forerunner and to the right of him, the archangel Michael.

ZP

 

[Margaret_Ann]

This is the iconostasis of St. Basil Seminary in Stamford, CT:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

And this is how it looked at SingCon 2019:

http://www.stbasilseminary.com/index.html

(Click on the small picture to the left of the article.)

The Theotokos with the Divine Child, Our Lord, St. Basil, St. Michael (?), St. Stephen and another Saint are the main icons on the iconostasis.

The Holy Apostles are 6 on each side of the row atop the Deacon Doors.

The 12 Great Feasts and the Holy Prophets are in a semicircle above the Holy Apostles.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

When I was at SingCon 2019, for Great Vespers all the women stood on the side of the Theotokos and all the men stood on the side of Our Lord.

It was magnificent.

 

[ziapueblo]

Picture of ours (kind of hard to see because if the lights). This was taken before Royal Hours this past Nativity (you’ll have to zoom in a bit):

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

ZP

 

[JS_Cortez]

(you’ll have to zoom in a bit):

Luckily, with the power of technology, such zooming was easily done.

So, if I am understanding the guidelines for the Iconostasis:

Theotokos at the left of the altar, holding the Holy Infant.
Christ at the right of the altar.
Often the patron of the church to the left of the Theotokos.

Is St Michael always there? The few Iconostasis I have seen in person have always had him.

Are the other icon on the Iconstasis simply chosen based on the devotion of the people and the area?

 

[Margaret_Ann]

Nothing is chosen at random. There are rules in iconography and making an iconostasis.
It’s always St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Stephen and/or St. Lawrence are on the deacon doors. At my parish we have St. Michael and St. Stephen. Since our parish is in honor of Our Lord, there’s no patronal icon:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Plus, our iconostasis came from another UGCC church that closed. Before that, we only had the four icons that are on the sides.

 

[JS_Cortez]

Nothing is chosen at random. There are rules in iconography and making an iconostasis

I did not mean to imply that any of the icons were chosen at random. I’m just trying to understand the rules that govern the choices that go into what icons are on an individual iconostasis since they aren’t all exactly the same. Clearly, some of the icons are chosen out of a community’s particular devotion or region.