Christ the Pantocrator (Cefalù Cathedral, Sicily)
Christ the Pantocrator (Monreale Cathedral, Sicily)
There was never any shortage of churches in
Sicily. In Ragusa in 1644, which had a population of only 15,000, there were 41
churches! Many of the smaller churches are now, inevitably, shut. For the
visitor, however, there is an amazing collection of different styles, many
with the Baroque superimposed on earlier designs. Cefalù Cathedral incorporates
the pillars from a Roman temple of Diana. The so-called Temple of Concord at
Agrigento is an exceptionally well preserved Greek temple, because it was
converted into a church and served as this from the sixth to the eighteenth
century. The conquering Normans seem consciously to have sought an
accommodation of different styles, including Islamic influences, while
nevertheless favouring Byzantine artists and mosaic workers.
All
of which leads me to reflect on the predominant image of Christ the Pantocrator (a term used by St Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:18; and nine times in the Book of Revelation), the omnipotent or
king in glory, ruler of all and sustainer of all, which is to be found at the
great cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. Until you have actually encountered
this Byzantine motif in its central position above the altar in the nave, and
seen its size, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is just another
mosaic icon in what, in the case of Monreale, is a formidable collection of
golden icons.
In
the two examples in Sicily which I was able to visit on holiday, it is evident
that neither is an ordinary mosaic icon. Both could be called Christ the teacher,
since the holy scriptures are depicted open in his left hand. On
each side of the halo are Greek letters: IC and XC. Christ’s fingers are
depicted in a pose that represents the letters IC, X and C, thereby making the
Christogram ICXC (for ‘Jesus Christ’). Christ is the future judge of mankind at
the Second Coming and the image of the Pantocrator
reminds us of this, although in the case of the image in these two cathedrals
he is perhaps a relatively benign judge to come. At Cefalù, the facial image is
thinner than at Monreale. In both cases, the biblical text in the open Bible is
the Greek and Latin text from John 8:12 (‘I am the Light of the World: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness’). The emphasis therefore is on
conversion of the believer, with the assumption that the believer will be
saved and not suffer a severe judgement at the end time.
It
seems rather trite to call both these enormous images masterpieces, though of
course they are. Leaving aside a sense of awe at their creation, three thoughts occurred to someone from a different tradition in Christianity. The first is what did the
artists and workers in mosaic make of the depiction as they worked on it? And
the second is the viewpoint of a minister charged with the celebration of the
Lord’s Supper: what spiritual heights did the archbishops who served the Lord rise
to as a result of doing God’s work beneath these magnificent icons? Finally, what impact do these icons still have today on believers and non-believers who encounter them casually as tourists? For the believer, ‘The Word was made flesh
and lived among us’ (John 1:14): Jesus is the eternal Word, spoken by God in the beginning.
