www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Icons & Iconography Byzantine Iconography in the Roman Catholic Church

Would there be an interest in begining a discussion of the use of Byzantine iconography in the Roman Catholic (Latin rite) Church? I am interested in its history (however checkered and difficult), its present status and (most importantly) how Byzantine iconography might be used to transform otherwise banal and artistically empty modern/recent church buildings into truly sacred spaces.

What kind of discussion do you have in mind?

Byzantine iconography was common to the West for a very long time. Many old churches in Italy, up through the 14th century for instance, are distinctly Byzantine in design and iconography. The Baptistry in Florence, across from the Duomo, is a good example. The San Damiano cross (of St. Francis) is essentially a Byzantine icon.

So, in some sense, when Roman Catholic churches in the West use Byzantine icons they are recovering a heritage common to their church also. Unfortunately, they can mix them with modern art/design and end up with what I think are pretty ghastly results.

Many Roman Catholic churches that are centuries old have byzantine iconography, but to see new icons in churches other than the San Damiano cross is interesting.

The church St. Catherine of Siena, in Great Falls, VA uses the main two icons used in Byzantine Churches, in the same places too!
http://www.stjudeliturgicalarts.com...tistic%20Studio/Marble/studio1-Large.jpg

Churches like the Chaldean Catholic Church have embraced iconography too, due to a complete lack of icons in the Church of the East. Though I guess this could be seen as a byzantination.
http://cristianstudio.com/Rel_Murals_St_George_C/Murals_St_George_C01.html

In Rome, most of the first millennium churches, including Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran, Santa Prassaeda and Santa Pudentiana have mosaic icons, mostly produced by Byzantine artisans. The ones in Santa Prassaeda are 9th century, and well worth the trouble of finding. Those from Santa Pudentiana are 4th century. Because of the iconoclasm, the oldest Byzantine icons are generally found either in the West or in the Mid-East. Most of those in the West are in Latin Churches.

Modern RC churches are simply ... empty. The modern geo-cubes that define contemporary RC church architecture were nothing more, in my view, than a plunge back into iconoclasm.

Yet, the very starkness of Byzantine iconography has the capacity to encompass an otherwise plain and bare sanctuary and fill it with the Light of the East. This is, I think, because sacred iconography by its very nature brings life, in fact brings God, into the eyes of the soul using simple visual forms.

Just as the West became the refuge for what remains of much of the more ancient, pre-iconoclasm iconography of the Byzantine Empire I believe that it is time for the East to return the favor.

This is a bigger job than merely an interior decorator redo. Much more is at stake.

There were a few Latin churches founded in Poland in the late 14th and early 15th century that were decorated with Byzantine-Rusyn art. I can think of collegiate church in Wiślica [en.wikipedia.org], built by Casimir the Great as an expiation for an affair with his Jewish mistress (a few pictures here [flickr.com]). This church was decorated with Byzantine art from the beginning. Another is the cathedral of Sandomierz [en.wikipedia.org] which was decorated with Byzantine-Rusyn art by Władysław Jagiełło around 1423 [sandomierz.pl].

For some reason I can't find more pictures. Nevertheless, Gothic interior decorated with Byzantine art looks a bit strange for me.

Saint Anne's Catholic Church , which is located in Gilbert , AZ , is filled with icons. There is an icon of Christ surrounded by angels in the adoration chapel.

In the Philippines which is very Roman Catholic, one of the largest devotions there is to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and the Redemptorists who runs the National Shrine has this Icon on the Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Perpetual_Help

Actually there's a portion there about Filipino devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. My mom goes to the shrine almost every Wednesday, and its on the other side of the metropolis (maybe 2 hours one way with the usual Manila traffic).