Overview of the Antimenses Collection of the Moscow Diocesan Administration from the Church-Historical Cabinet of the Kolomna Theological Seminary

Abstract

Antimension is a liturgical object used to perform the main sacrament of the Church, the Divine Liturgy. The antimension, like a big number of church art objects such as altar gospels and crosses, eucharistic vessels and many other liturgical items changed its appearance throughout the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, but retained its main purpose unchanged. Church art originated at the moment of the Church foundation by Christ is an integral part of her life. Throughout the history of the Church, church art has always responded to the calls of the time and the cultural environment. The purpose of this article is to consider the antimension collection of the Church History Cabonet at the Kolomna Theological Seminary. Antimensions are reviewed in chronological order with an indication of their stylistic features. The author traces the change in the iconographic versions of antimenses in the second half of the XVII – late XX centuries.