Adipophistic icons – devils under the faces of saints
Orthodox person could pray for years the “demonic” icon. The worst was that he did not even suspect about it. The devils skillfully hid. When the true origin of the image was clarified, the believer covered horror.
It is still not known why adescript icons were created and who dared to write them. Some art historians are convinced that images are a grandiose cultural myth.
The first “demon” icon
According to legends, for the first time with such images, people encountered in the 16th century. The life of Basil Blessed tells about the strange deed of the saint. In front of believers, the saint threw a stone into the icon, on which the Virgin was depicted. The pilgrims were dumbfounded. The image was considered miraculous and prayed intensely to him.
Having hit the icon, the stone bared a terrible gut. The devils and other evil spirits appeared to the light. The saint gradually took off all the paint. On every centimeter there was a devil or devil. The image was removed from sight and immediately burned.
In the XIX century, the adaptable icons were also heard. However, most often they were perceived as fakes. The final upper letter on the images was extremely inexperienced.
Manufacturing technology and the danger of using
Icons made special mantis. The images consisted of their two layers. At first the artist painted devils, demons and devil. Then the paint dried up and a primer was applied over. The second layer of the Bogomaz painted the usual faces of the saints. Thus, to detect the adaptable icon, it was necessary to remove the upper layer. Sometimes artists hid only small details under the inner layer. For example, horns or other devilish paraphernalia.
Such images for an Orthodox person were a huge danger. Despite the fact that two layers were separate, they were inextricably linked. It turns out that a person prayed to both the saint and the devil at the same time. For this reason, the Orthodox saw the machinations of the warlocks in the adorus icons. Who really painted these icons?
Why did the appraisal icons make?
There are two versions about which adPy icons were created for. According to the first, the “demonic” images were made by the Old Believers. They deliberately placed under the face of holy devils. So adherents of old traditions emphasized their attitude to church reforms. For the Old Believers, this was a kind of revenge for the adoption of the Greek canons of worship.
According to another version, the Old Believers were victims. They, like other Orthodox, were sold by Ofeni icons. Cunning traders who put together a whole secret society received double benefits. The first Open came to the village and sold the demonic icon. After him, an accomplice visited the village. He pulled the paint with his fingernail and revealed the terrible secret of the icons. As a favor of the Second Open, he offered to take the icons from the city. And they replaced them with new, most ordinary images.
Where are the icons now?
Art historians are in doubt about the existence of such icons. Many holy images were restored. During the recovery, the previous layer did not remove, but was smeared. With this technology, traces of “demonic” images would necessarily preserve.
On the other hand, there was little adescript icons. In addition, the owners sought to get rid of them as soon as possible. It is possible that the icons were burned without unnecessary publicity. Someone is convinced that some of the icons inherited modern “sorcerers”. People who have devoted their lives to the study of magical rituals, endow the sacred meaning of such icons.
See also: Underground manufacture of icons for Old Believers