The concept of the spatial icon, introduced by

Alexei Lidov Alexei Mikhailovich Lidov ( Russian: Алексей́ Михай́лович Ли́дов) is a Russian art historian and byzantinist, an author of the concepts ''hierotopy'' and ''spatial icon'', member of the Russian Academy of Arts. Life an ...

, plays a central role in

hierotopy Hierotopy (from grc, ἱερός, sacred + grc, τόπος, place, space) is the creation of sacred spaces viewed as a special form of human creativity and also a related academic field where specific examples of such creativity are studied. The c ...

and is used to describe the perception of sacred spaces. Spatial icons are image-visions, that are evoked, for example, in the space of a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

. The spatial icon encompasses a broad range of components involved in the formation and definition of sacred spaces. It is a consciously created spatial image that transcends the material objects involved in its formation. A variety of plastic elements, including everything from buildings to decoration, and from

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s to liturgical artifacts, work together to form a spatial icon. Sacred

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s and iconic images often play an integral role in the creation of a comprehensive spatial image. Various dynamic and performative media also play a significant role, such as rituals and song, as well as the artistic manipulation of natural light, lighting and sounds, and also elements dealing with odor and touch. From this point of view,

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

churches can be seen as spatial icons in which divine image-visions, such as

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

Heavenly Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, the Third Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the ca ...

, were incarnated in the sacred space by means of the various media employed without being directly depicted. The temples and sanctuaries of various

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

s were originally conceived, designed and created as spatial icons. In the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

tradition in particular, impressive examples of spatial icons are to be found in re-creations of the Holy Land, or "New Jerusalems". In many cases, spatial icons were the work of specific authors; their art could be compared with that of contemporary

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

s, for in both cases, there is the coordinated effort of various artists and specialists in shaping a single, comprehensive vision. Performativity, as well as various dynamic elements, is a significant feature of spatial icons. Unlike a statue or building, they are constantly in motion, changing with the movement and activity of ritual and celebration, as well as with the alteration of light, odor and the movements of those participating and inhabiting them. The Tuesday performance surrounding the Hodegetria icon in Constantinople and the

Donkey walk The donkey walk (russian: хождение на осляти, шествие на осляти) is a Russian Orthodox Palm Sunday ritual re-enactment of Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem. The best known historical donkey walk was practised in Mo ...

taking place in

MoscowM. Flier. "The Image of the Tsar in the Muscovite Palm Sunday Ritual" in ''Spatial icons. Performativity in Byzantium and Medieval Russia'', ed. A. Lidov, Moscow: Indrik, 2011, pp. 533-562. are classical examples of iconic performativity in the Eastern Christian tradition. In both cases, the city itself was temporarily transformed into the matrix of a spatial icon; the participants involved in these rituals were thus veritable co-creators of the sacred space along with the artists, priests and celebrants responsible for leading it. Another example of this performative element at work in spatial icons can be found in the ritual creation and destruction of the

sand mandala Sand mandala (; ) is a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. Once complete, the sand mandala's ritualistic Art destruction, dismantling is accompanied by ceremo ...

in the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

tradition.

Notes

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External links

on-line library of hierotopic works

Round-table discussion on spatial icons at the International Congress of Byzantine Studies, 2016
Art history Iconography Religious art Constantinople

Notes

Further reading

External links