Mandorla

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the musical instrument, see Mandola. For the circular pattern in Buddhist tradition, see Mandala.
Christ in Majesty shown within a mandorla shape in a medieval illuminated manuscript.
13/14th c. seal of Stone Priory in Staffordshire, England, in the shape of a mandorla

A mandorla is an

Virgin Mary in traditional Christian iconography.[1] It is distinguished from a halo in that it encircles the entire body and not just the head. It is commonly used to frame the figure of Christ in Majesty in early medieval and Romanesque art, as well as Byzantine art
of the same periods. It is the shape generally used for mediaeval ecclesiastical seals, secular seals generally being round.

Depictions

Mandorla is Italian for the almond nut, to which shape it refers. It may be elliptical or depicted as a vesica, a lens shape as the intersection of two circles. Rhombic mandorlas are also sometimes depicted.

In

Dormition of the Theotokos. These mandorlas are often painted in several concentric bands of different color, which become darker in progression to the center of the mandorla. This accords with the church's use of apophatic theology, as described by Dionysius the Areopagite
and others: as holiness increases, only increasing darkness can depict the luminance and brightness thereof.

In architectural iconography, the frame of the mandorla is often marked with decorative mouldings. The interior of the mandorla is usually undecorated, but may contain the symbols for Alpha and Omega (Α and Ω) or, less frequently, depictions of a starry sky or clouds.

In a famous

Sant Climent de Taüll, the scriptural inscription Ego Sum Lux Mundi ("I Am the Light of the World") is incorporated in the mandorla design.[2]

The

Romanesque sculpture, indicate the angels at his feet bearing candlesticks. Six surrounding stars that resemble blooming flowers, indicate the planets that were known at the time, including the Moon. Here the symbolism evokes Christ as the Sun.[3]

In one special case, at Cervon (

Judaic thought radiated from Narbonne, coinciding with the origins of the Kabbalah.[5] Furthermore, at Cervon the eight stars/flowers only are six-petalled: the "Root of David", the "Morningstar", mentioned at the end of the Book of Revelation (22: 16).[6] In one of the oldest manuscripts of the complete Hebrew Bible, the Leningrad Codex, the Star of David
is embedded in an octagon.

In the symbolism of Saint Hildegard of Bingen OSB the mandorla symbolizes the Cosmos.[7]

References

  1. ISBN 0-393-31236-4
    .
  2. ^ Xtec.es website.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2007-10-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Tympanum of the west façade of Saint Barthélemy Collegiate Church, Abbey of Saint-Eptade, Cervon, France. Dead link: http://homepage.uvt.nl/~s239062/EDIFICES/cervon/CERVONtim.JPG[permanent dead link]
  5. ISBN 0-691-07314-7
    .
  6. ^ Romanes.com: Art et Architecture Romane, par emmanuel PIERRE
  7. ^ Riedel, Ingrid (1994). Hildegard von Bingen, Prophetin der kosmischen Weisheit. Kreuz Verlag, Zürich.
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