Magnificat: Hymns to the Mother of God from East and West
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary’s male octet (which can be heard here) will be performing on November 25 in New York City in a joint performance with a Schola from St. Joseph’s (Roman Catholic) Seminary. The SVS section of the program will feature hymns from all the feasts of the Church year, thus illustrating the life…
Continue reading »VISIONS OF BEAUTY: St. Petersburg School of Religion and Philosophy Spring Seminar
This spring, from May 26th – June 9th, 2014, St. Petersburg School of Religion and Philosophy will host a 10 day seminar on the “Foundations of Russian Religion and Culture in the Course of a Thousand Years.” The seminar will be held entirely in English. The objective is to “learn about the notion of beauty…
Continue reading »PaTRAM Institute Launches Website
The Patriarch Tikhon American Music Institute is part of the same effort behind the Patriarch Tikhon Choir who’s latest concert received wonderful reviews. Under the continual guidance of Vladimir Gorbik, the institute offers many solutions for training North Americans who wish to increase their ability to chant in the Russian tradition. As usual, our own…
Continue reading »Orthodox Architecture and Iconography as Subjects in Fine Art Painting
Orthodox liturgical artists treat the vast world of secular fine art with some trepidation. The question of fine art influence on iconography, in particular, is a very delicate one. Western painting styles have done great harm to iconography historically. The reverse is arguably true as well. The ‘discovery’ of medieval painting inspired western…
Continue reading »RUSSIA IN RALEIGH
For those of you who enjoyed the National Gallery Byzantine exhibit and want to see some icons from a different culture, the North Carolina History Museum is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty with and exhibit called “Window into Heaven.” This exhibit displays 36 icons from the 18th and 19th…
Continue reading »Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections
An excellent show on Byzantine art is currently on display at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. The show opened on October 6th, but shut down temporarily with U.S. Government, and was rather obscured as a result. Since many folks have been left unaware of the show, we are calling attention to it here. Specifically, it…
Continue reading »6 Days of Icon Carving
Last month I had the opportunity to give my first icon carving training for Hexaemeron. Hexaemeron is a travelling liturgical arts school based on the work and method of Ksenia Pokrovsky of recent memory. It was an honor to join the Hexaemeron team and to have a chance of working with a very dedicated group of…
Continue reading »The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in the Dialog between Science and Religion: Part Two
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in the Dialog between Science and Religion” fr. Steven Bigham Looks at scripture through the lens of iconography so to propose an “iconic” reading of the Bible. The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in…
Continue reading »The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in the Dialog between Science and Religion: Part One
This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in the Dialog between Science and Religion” fr. Steven Bigham Looks at scripture through the lens of iconography so to propose an “iconic” reading of the Bible. The Theology of the Icon as a Hermeneutic Tool in…
Continue reading »A New Cathedral for Montenegro – Thoughts on the Architecture
On Monday the primates and hierarchs of many nations gathered to consecrate a new cathedral in Podgorica, capital of Montenegro. Coverage of the grand event can be found on many news sites, but here I would like to reflect upon the building itself and its appointments. Construction of the cathedral began in 1993. It is…
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