Posts in category: Η Τράπεζα 3 – Διονυσίου

The treatise Skala (κλίμαξ, 'steep staircase') or Ladder of Divine Ascent was written by St Ioannis Climacus, probably in the 7th century. It is a masterpiece of Byzantine Christianity, which continues to be read by monks as an important reference. In the Monastery's fresco, St John, at the lower right, shows a tall and steep staircase that reaches up to heaven to a crowd of monks who follow him. Monks are climbing with effort, troubled by demons, and many fall from various heights. The monks who fall end up in the mouth of the Dragon, a representation of Satan, horrible and impressively designed with perspective, who is lurking beneath the ladder.

Since the time of St Pachomios, the monks have looked to the angels as a model. According to the Bible, during the War of Heaven, the Gathering of the Angels ended the rebellion and caused the fall of Lucifer and his companions when the Archangel Michael cried 'Stand in righteousness!', reminding the other angels of virtue. Thus, the fresco representation of the Gathering, emphasized by its location in space and by its dynamic structure, has a clear meaning in the life and mind of the monks who face it twice a day. And every time someone looks at the fresco, St Michael's cry 'Stand in righteousness!' is heard again.