Beli rubac Presvete Bogorodice u oltarskim apsidama srpskih manastirskih hramova XIII–XIV stoleća: teološki i liturgiološki aspekti

Abstract

taking into account that the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary is the holiest and greatest saint in the Christian Church, mosaic and fresco painting and veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos in the altar’s apses of the Orthodox Christian Churches, should be recognized as the very important element of mystagogical and liturgical Tradition. Among the many representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there is one which stresses her role as a Holy Table, Bearer of the Bread from heaven and Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, two relevant details are helping to be understood such a sacred reality — the venerable Belt and white handkerchief of Holy Virgin. This paper analyzes fresco representing of the Mary’s white handkerchief in the altar’s apses of the Serbian Monasteries churches (Studenica, Gračanica, Dečani) according to the theological and liturgiological context. Also, the author is constructing the hypothesis that white handkerchief could be connected, from one side, with the oldest white silk cloth — eileton spread on the Holy Table during the Divine Eucharist and, from another side, with swaddling cloths of Incarnated Jesus and Christ’s burial linen cloths.