Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Sacred Symbols in the Easter Vigil

On the eve of Easter, Christians throughout the world attend an Easter Vigil that starts after nightfall and continues to midnight. The Easter Vigil liturgy is rich in symbols that transport worshipers back through the centuries to the sources of humanity’s first encounters with the sacred. The service typically begins outdoors with the congregation gathered around a cauldron or fire pit. The priest or minister blesses the fire and lights a paschal candle inscribed with a cross, the year, and alpha and omega, the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.   An assistant then uses one of the coals from the fire with which to burn incense.

During the service, lectors read stories from the book of Genesis about the creation. They read about Abraham and Isaac, and the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.  As the lectors conclude their readings from the Hebrew Bible, church bells and hand bells ring as the congregation sings Glory to God in the highest to mark Christ’s coming with the transition from Old Testament to New. A cantor then sings the tender Litany of Saints, naming Teresa, Francis and many others on a roster that starts with John the Baptist. The service continues with a baptism ceremony in which a cleric welcomes initiates to the faith by sprinkling (or dousing) them with water and anointing them with oil. The sense of solidarity with those who came before and continuity from past to present is powerful.

1. Lights in the Firmament, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC

1. Lights in the Firmament, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC

2. Let Us Make Man in Our Image, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC

2. Let Us Make Man in Our Image, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC

Today, we’ll focus on the Easter Vigil theme of “Creation” (photos #1 & 2, above) as the first expression of God’s love for humanity.  I had hoped to write also about the story of Abraham and Isaac and how it “typifies” Christ in Christian thought about God’s plan for salvation (see “Types” post), but in the interest of joining my family to color Easter eggs I think it’s best to limit our scope today.  We’ll take a close look at photos of stained glass and sculpture at Cologne Cathedral in Germany and St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City.

3. Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), Koln, Germany

3. Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), Koln, Germany

12. St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York City

4. St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York City

The Medieval understanding of the created world drew heavily on Greek thinking. Plato and Aristotle wrote of four elements—fire, water, earth, and air—that comprised the world as they know it. These “classical elements,” along with the seven-day creation story in Genesis, have provided inspiration for artists throughout the centuries.  But it is probably less obvious that the Easter Vigil liturgy serves as a reminder that the four classical elements carry meaning for Christians today.

Fire, source of warmth and light, is a symbol for many concepts including Christ as the “light of salvation.” Photo #5 depicts an allegorical figure of Fire (Ignus in Latin) holding two flaming torches in modern stained glass at Cologne Cathedral. One of four sculpted corbels in the corners of the narthex at St. Thomas Church (photo #6, click to enlarge) shows flames surrounding a stylized scorpion (or dragon?) who evidently can withstand the heat! The sculpture at St. Thomas dates to the 1920’s.

Fire (In, Cologne Cathedral, Germany

5. Fire (Ignis), Cologne Cathedral, Germany

Fire and Scorpion, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

6. Fire and Scorpion, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

Water symbolically provides the renewing and cleansing power of Baptism (photos # 7, below). The stained glass at Cologne shows an allegorical figure for Water (Aqua, on the right) holding Neptune’s trident and pouring water from a large jug. The Water corbel at St. Thomas shows porpoises frolicking in the water (photo #8).

7. Earth (Terra) and Water (Aqua), Cologne Cathedral, Germany

7. Earth (Terra) and Water (Aqua), Cologne Cathedral, Germany

Water, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

8. Water, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

The earth produces oil, symbolizing the planet’s abundance and God’s sustaining love. Cologne Cathedral’s “Mother Earth” (Terra, photo #7 above, left) holds large sheaves of wheat in her hands. St. Thomas’ Earth corbel portrays a rabbit peering out of a wheat field (photo #9, below), a visual nod to the Norse fertility goddess Eostre whose name is the old English root of “Easter.”

9. Earth, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

9. Earth, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

The air lifts the aromatic smoke of incense heavenward, symbolizing both sacrifice and prayer offered in response to God’s love. Air (Aer) at Cologne Cathedral holds an eagle in each hand (photo #10, below). The Air sculpture at St. Thomas shows birds in flight (photo #11). In combination, the symbols of the four classical elements woven into the Easter Vigil liturgy subtly imply that our ancestors had a sincere sense of the sacred–as they contemplated the significance of fire, water, earth, and air–long before the first Holy Week.

Air (Aer), Cologne Cathedral, Germany

10. Air (Aer), Cologne Cathedral, Germany

11. Air, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

11. Air, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, NYC

Mike Klug, mikejklug@aol.com, (4/19/14)

 

Sacred Symbols: The Palm of Martyrdom

We’re taking the “palm branch” theme a step further today through the stories of two Christian martyrs as depicted in stained glass and sculpture at cathedrals in Chartres, France, New York City, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

South Porch, Chartres Cathedral, France

South Porch, Chartres Cathedral, France

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY

West Facade, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY

Nave and Altar, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee, WI

Nave and Altar, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee, WI

As mentioned in my first post, the use of the palm branch as a sacred symbol in the Mediterranean world pre-dates Christianity. Early Christians borrowed one of the palm’s symbolic meanings–victory–directly from the Romans. The palm branch was the main attribute, or sign, of the goddess Victory. Christians applied the palm’s victory symbolism to help make meaning of the perilous situation they faced at the time. “The palm,” wrote Maurice Delasser in The Symbols of the Church, “is the emblem of the elect, and especially of the martyrs, who are victorious over death.”  Ever since, the palm branch has helped us identify martyred saints in the sculpture and stained glass of Europe’s cathedrals and many churches in the U.S. The martyrs’ stories are often the stuff of legend and have inspired many artists over the centuries. We’ll focus on two of them: Steven and Lawrence.

Saint Steven is said to be the first Christian martyr. As such, he sometimes appears in prominent places next to Jesus’ disciples and other great saints. At Notre Dame in Paris (photo #1, below), Steven’s right hand holds a palm branch to signify his martyrdom as he stands in good company between John the Baptist and Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. The sculptures are 19th century reproductions that replaced originals lost, I believe, during the French Revolution.  The stained glass image of Steven (photo #2) comes from All Saints Episcopal Cathedral in Milwaukee. He holds a palm frond in his right hand and a large rock in his left hand that signifies his death by stoning.

#1. St. Steven between John the Baptist and Genevieve.

#1. St. Steven with palm frond between John the Baptist and St. Genevieve, Notre Dame, Paris.

2. St. Steven, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee

2. St. Steven, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee

Legend has it that Saint Lawrence, one of the deacons in the early church at Rome, died in 258 shortly after the emperor Valerian decreed that clerics should be executed and their wealth confiscated. His story, according to Jacob of Voragine’s The Golden Legend, written around 1266, goes like this.

Lawrence, as the head deacon, was responsible for the church treasury and distributing alms to the poor. When Decius, one of Valerian’s henchmen, demanded that Lawrence turn over the treasury’s contents to imperial authorities, Lawrence asked for three days to comply. Valerian himself granted the request. “During these three days,” Voragine wrote, “Lawrence gathered together all the poor, the lame and the blind and took them before Decius.” With the destitute crew standing beside him, Lawrence said to Decius, “Here you see the eternal treasure, treasure which never diminishes but grows and grows.” He refused to turn over the funds to the Romans.

Decius was irate and ordered his minions to punish Lawrence’s impertinence by roasting him alive over a bed of hot coals. Legend has it that when Lawrence’s backside was well done, he looked up at Decius and quipped, “Look, fool, you have roasted only one side of me. Turn me over and then eat.” Then he gave up the ghost. In time, Lawrence became the patron saint of cooks and chefs, and the grid iron on which he was roasted became his attribute.

A thirteenth century sculpture on Chartres Cathedral’s south porch (photo #3) shows Lawrence lying on a grid iron over coals and flames. The next two photos were taken at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Photo #4 shows a statue of Lawrence holding a small grid iron in his left hand and a pouch containing alms in his right hand. The pedestal below (photo #5) imaginatively portrays the saint’s execution with two men placing Lawrence on the grid iron while Valerian looks on. Cackling demons wait for the emperor to turn in their direction. Lastly, Lawrence appears in stained glass at Milwaukee’s All Saints’ Cathedral holding a palm frond and large grid iron (photo #6). He stands next to St. Giles.  The British firm of Lavers and Westlake made the saint windows for Milwaukee’s Episcopal Cathedral in the 1890’s.

3. St. Lawrence on Grid Iron, Chartres

3. St. Lawrence on Grid Iron, Sculpture at Chartres Cathedral, France

4. St. Lawrence, St. John the Divine, NYC

4. St. Lawrence, St. John the Divine, NYC

St. Lawrence Pedestal, St. John the Divine, NYC

5. St. Lawrence Pedestal, St. John the Divine, NYC

6. St. Lawrence with St. Giles, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee

6. St. Lawrence (right) with St. Giles, All Saints Cathedral, Milwaukee

Mike Klug, mikejklug@aol.com, 4/14/14