Holy Doors
The central doors of the iconostasis are used by clergy at appointed moments in worship. They often bear the Annunciation and the four Evangelists.
Key points
- Their icons connect the Incarnation of Christ with the proclamation of His Gospel.
- Look for: A pair of central doors, often with a curtain behind them.
- Illustrated location: Sanctuary / altar area
- The veil and the iconostasis (Christian typology): Exodus describes a veil between the Holy Place and the inner sanctuary. The church iconostasis likewise marks a sanctuary boundary; its icons express communion with Christ and the saints. Hebrews interprets access to God through Christ.
- This is a Christian reading of a biblical pattern. The iconostasis developed historically, and its doors and curtains follow local liturgical customs; it is not an unchanged Temple curtain.
Scripture
- Exodus 26:1, 31–35 — The veil and the iconostasis: Exodus describes a veil between the Holy Place and the inner sanctuary. The church iconostasis likewise marks a sanctuary boundary; its icons express communion with Christ and the saints. Hebrews interprets access to God through Christ.
- Hebrews 10:10–22 — The veil and the iconostasis: Exodus describes a veil between the Holy Place and the inner sanctuary. The church iconostasis likewise marks a sanctuary boundary; its icons express communion with Christ and the saints. Hebrews interprets access to God through Christ.