Archangels Michael & Gabriel – Antique Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Antique Lithograph of the Archangels Michael & Gabriel.

The Bible frequently speaks of angels. Angels are creations of God, incorporeal and immaterial, free from the passions of humans. In Orthodox tradition, angels are depicted with wings.

They are portrayed with reverence, in the form of a heavenly army. They are divided and categorized into orders with distinct names: Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Authorities, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim. The leaders of the angelic hosts are Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The name Michael is interpreted as “Who is like God?” and Gabriel as “Man of God.”

The feast of the Synaxis of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel is celebrated on November 8th.

On this day, the Church commemorates the feast of the gathering of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and all the heavenly powers, in remembrance of the rebellion of Satan. When Archangel Michael saw Satan falling, he called upon the heavenly powers. He then cried out “Let us attend” and praised God along with the other angels. This gathering is called the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers, meaning the union and harmony of the good angels.

Antique Lithograph: Features

This particular image was created using the technique of lithography, which is taught in the iconography workshops of Mount Athos and is also used by several monks to create exceptional works of art. In this case, the monk used a lithographed copy of Byzantine art and crafted the piece following the traditional method of artificial aging. The lithography technique in iconography is essentially a printing technique.

Origin: Mount Athos