Der Dodekaeorton in byzantinischen Kirchen. Verortung und Rezeption der Bilder

<jats:p>The pictorial themes of the Dodekaeorton, the cycle of the Twelve Great Feasts in Byzantine church decoration, are often not arranged according to the chronology of the biblical account. Additionally, some of these pictures are arranged in an antithetical way, deliberately ignoring biblical chronology to create pairs of images. The location of these images within the church is significant, as it is linked to the theological-liturgical importance of the space. These antithetical arrangements can be explained by homiletic and liturgical texts. Furthermore, the meaning of the images often refers to theosis, the transformative process by which human beings become united with God and partake in the divine nature. While chronology plays an important role in the arrangement of the pictures, it is not decisive. Beyond theosis, an expanded idea of reception seems to underlie these programs. The viewer may have perceived the images in a more emotional and associative-spiritual way, identifying with what was depicted. This "iconic reception" finds its parallels in architecture and, above all, in the liturgy.</jats:p>