What I think many will find most intriguing is the crafting and assembling process documented here.
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The chandelier was designed and hand-crafted by a parishioner. It is approximately 10 feet in diameter. It is made of a hardwood - red oak - which is unforgiving to mistakes and anything metal (especially drills), and has a long grain. Each wooden component interlocks into a wooden mate; it is the interlocking structure (and not any metal inner diameter band) that holds the chandelier in place. Therefore the cuts must be precise (meaning: there is literally no wiggle room for error). The chandelier has twelve sides and holds 48 beeswax candles. Beneath each candle is a blown glass plate, each one of which had to be hand-drilled with a diamond bit for placement on the chandelier. Suspended from the ceiling, because each wooden component was milled with precision, the chandelier is self-balancing and may be lowered and raised as necessary.
The candles will be lit on special holy days. The chandelier's design represents the Heavenly Jerusalem as envisioned in Revelation, with twelve towers described in Revelation. The "towers" are the flat wooden panels seen at each junction of the horizontal pieces.
The church's iconostasis is also made of hand-crafted red oak, thus the chandelier complements the interior of the church; and when you include the amount of gold gilding on the iconostasis' icons and dome, the warmth and glow (evident in the above image) takes on a new dimension - we believe, promoting worship. As we slowly work our way toward increasing our natural light (candlelight), and increasing our use of wood within the interior, we can minimize (but not eliminate) the electrical lighting. In this regard, there will always be a balance required. But when it comes to evening services, vespers and all-night vigils, the candelights will more than suffice.
Some biblical references:
Rev 21:12-14
It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:21
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
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Beautiful! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt's as if the chandelier itself is an ikon.