 |
||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||
 Available russian version |
 |
 |
|
Issues of 2008
|
|
Christian Hercules or Dog-headed st. Christopher?
The name “Christopher” means “Christ-bearer” in Ancient Greek. He was a martyr of the first ages of Christianity executed in Lycia (Asia Minor) about 250. According to the hagiography of St. Christopher, it happened under the Emperor Decius (249–251), the first persecutor of Christians. According to the west Catholic version, the relics of the saint were carried from Toledo to France, to the Saint-Denis Abbey. The Orthodox Christians feast the memory day of Saint Christopher on May 9 (May 22 according to the Old Style), the Catholics feast it on July 24 (in majority of countries, for example, in Germany, Lithuania) and on July 25 (in Italy). According to many researchers, unusual iconography of St. Christopher makes him differ from other saints. To understand the genesis of iconographic differences, it’s necessary to turn to the Life of Saint Christopher. Hagiographic information about his life goes back to III century. He was a warrior, a native of the African tribe of the Canaanite. He was a giant man in stature endued with great force. This giant was originally named Reprebus. This name means “bad”, “ugly”. This alias could be connected with his appearance.
The primary target of the giant Reprebus was service for the most powerful sovereign in the world. According to a legend, he was looking for a sovereign for a long time, but he was always disappointed founding more powerful force. Finally, being a servant of the devil, Reprebus saw devil’s subject of fear. That was a cross. That was his way to sure faith and devotion to Christ. On a neophyte’s advice he gave penance to himself and devoted his life to the help to weak and ill people. He helped them to overcome a rapid stream. One night he was carrying a baby across the river. The giant was perplexed: from step to step baby’s body was more and more cumbrous. In reply to giant’s perplexing, Infant Christ (that was He) answered that giant was carrying not only the baby, but also the brunt of the world on his shoulders. It was bishop Babylas of Antioch who baptised the giant and gave him name “Christopher”. The legend has it that the way of the former warrior to the baptism was followed by miracles. Christopher’s palm staff began to flourish and fructify. Christopher converted to Christianity almost 50,000 inhabitants of Syria and Lycia and put into a rage the Emperor Decius. His missionary activity was connected with miracles. After an angel had touched Christopher’s mouth, he could preach the gospel for the Lycian people in their native language. His martyr death was also followed by unbelievable events. According to the legend, forty bowmen couldn’t strike him with their bows. Arrows, directed to the martyr, changed the direction. One of the arrows turned and plumped into the eye of the main crucifier. According to another version, before the beheading, the saint was pierced with arrows for many times. By the way, the Emperor Decius was drowned in the swamp. That was very symbolic: St. Christopher had helped people to cross rapid streams. As we have already mentioned, the western and the eastern traditional depictions of St. Christopher have differences. Traditional western depiction of St. Christopher is anthropomorphic (humanlike). Christopher, called Christian Hercules, was depicted carrying Infant Christ across a river on his shoulders. The saint is a bearded giant dressed in raincoat. He holds the palm staff with date branches. Sometimes there is a hanging fish on the staff. Fish is a symbol of early Christians. Sometimes he lounges a pine tore out by the root. There is a nimbus under his head, in later images it isn’t depicted. There is no any allusion to Christopher’s war past (cuirass, armament) and queerness of image (deformity or beauty). Iconography could have differences within the same plot. For example, Christopher in red raincoat with blue bat is crossing the river going to help Infant Christ. A hermit, who used to help him to become Christian, is observing this crossing. He is lightning the way of St. Christopher with a lantern. There are versions where the hermit is just sitting on the stone. In the western tradition St. Christopher is usually depicted as a bearded giant carrying Infant Christ across the river. The orthodox iconography has three types of St Christopher’s image.
In the first one he is depicted as a handsome young man with long hair, Latin cross in the right hand, dressed in a purple raincoat. His tunic is decorated with golden stripes. According to another iconographic variant, we see Christopher crossing the river with Infant Christ on his shoulders. Such iconographic variants are not characteristic for the depiction of Christopher in the orthodox tradition. The most characteristic Russian image of Christopher was the depiction of dog-headed saint warrior. The image of Christopher –Cynocephalos (Greek word that means “dog-headed”), warrior with the head of a dog and grin fauces. Dressed in a red raincoat and a suit of armour Christopher holds a spear or sword in his hand. Later, in XVII century, the artists began to depict a cross in the right hand of the saint. Above his head there is a nimbus with fringe. That was just Chistopher’s image in the icon of XVI from Chudov monastery in Moscow. Now it is in the State Museum of the History of Religion. Horse¬headed Christopher is also very rare image. There is such depiction in the two¬metre fresco in Uspensky Sviyajsky monastery situated on the island Sviyajsk near Kazan. How could appear the terrible image of dog-headed St. Christopher? The reason is supposed to be connected with the birth-place of St. Christopher — Canaan that was identified with the country of cynocephalus (region near Thebes — Cynocephalia) and cannibals. Christopher was supposed to be a man of the dog-headed people, a miracle Indian tribe of gluttonous giants. According to one variant of St. Christopher’s Life, he became humanlike after the baptism. His barbarity and ferocity before baptism are symbolic. According to another version, Christopher asked the God to give him the head of a dog to make his preach more convincing. This legend was incarnated in Cyprus, where in the church of St. George there is an image of dog-headed Christopher. According to the third version, Christopher was very handsome and he asked the God to disfigure him to avoid the temptations. In connection with this iconographic phenomenon, it is impossible to avoid the question of the Ancient Egypt influence to Byzantium. In the Coptic Museum in Cairo there is an icon with the depiction of two saints. Their heads are the copies of Anubis’s head. Anubis was an Egyptian god of death, the protector of dead and embalmment art. Sombre and powerful god could turn into a jackal, wolf or jackal-headed man. According to eastern legends, the dog is a servant of Devil, black and evil. Sometimes gods and demons of Erebus were dog¬shaped. Haron, an ancient Greek waterman to the Land of Dead, was often depicted in the image of a dog. We should mention a simple hypothesis that the appearance of this tradition is connected with wrong transcription of the words “cananeus” (Canaanite) and “canineus” (doggish). Dogs had always interest with people. It is no coincidence that dog was an important creature, the symbol of fidelity and bravery for many peoples. In the western Christian tradition a dog is considered to be the symbol of St. Bernard and St. Dominic. Sculptural depictions of dogs decorate crusaders’ tombs; crusaders had been called “God’s dogs”. The image of dog-headed St. Christopher existed only in the orthodox iconography of XVI–XVIII centuries. Moscow Local Council of 1666–1667 criticised some iconographic plots, “strange and terrible images”, including the depiction of dog-headed St. Christopher. In 1722 the Synod forbade the “opposite to nature, history and truth” images. The Department of Icon Painting of Peter the Great forbade using symbolic depictions of the evangelists (eagle, lion, bull). Rostov metropolitan Arseny insisted on the correction of “foul images” and offered to feature human faces over doggish heads. There is a wonderful fresco dated 1563–1564 in the Monastery of Transfiguration of Our Saviour in Yaroslavl. Initially there was an image of dog-headed St. Christopher in the fresco. In XVIII “brutish” image of the saint was repainted. Nevertheless, we have some interesting images of dog¬headed St. Christopher. In Russia St. Christopher was a popular saint. Cathedrals were decorated with images of dog-headed St. Christopher. His images were often sold in icon shops until XVIII century. According to Russian orthodox tradition, St. Christopher was a saviour from different misfortunes, protector, and patron of successful hunt. Unlike European tradition, in Russia St. Christopher wasn’t honoured as an Aesculapian, though Russian lands were often desolated by the plague. According to the Vatican Council of 1962–1965 about 200 saints were excluded from the catholic liturgical calendar because of the falsity of their hagiographies. St. George, St. Nicolas, martyr St. Catherine. St. Christopher shared their fate. It didn’t influence the popularity of the saint. Christopher patronizes medicine, travellers, sailors, ferrymen, bridge-builders and all those who carry weights. Since the advent of automobiles this Saint became the protector of automobiles and road police. There is a legend: everybody, having seen the depiction of St. Christopher, avoids sudden death this day. The martyr is a protector of people in the face of natural disasters. In Spain people apply to him during epidemics. The saint is a protector of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Vilnius coat-of-arms is decorated with the image of St. Christopher.
|
|
Strategic partner
Project of company 
|
|
Headquarters, Edition, Advertising department, Sale department, Information agency
 |
|
|
|