REFLECTION OF THE TRADITION OF HESYCHIA IN THE IMAGES OF SAINTS ANTHONY AND THEODOSIUS OF THE CAVES IN THE LAVRA ICONOGRAPHY

The reflection of the spiritual tradition of hesychia in the pieces of Lavra iconography with the image of Sts. Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves is considered in this article. The manifestations of hesychia in the lives of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves are reflected in hagiographic literature. In the course of the study, several of the most stable iconographic types of the image of the Venerable Fathers Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves were identified, in which the spiritual traditions of hesychia are visibly reflected. First, these are “Cathedral Compositions”, where all Venerable Fathers of the Caves are depicted. Secondly, these are the compositions “Our Lady of Pechersk with the Appearing Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk” which is a kind of a brief summary of the previous compositions. Thirdly – “Life Compositions”, the iconography of which is based on hagiographic literature. A characteristic detail of the iconography of the Saints is the presence of a rosary – a symbol of the monastic prayer feat and the prayer of Jesus. All the above images are united by the circumstance that they were created in the categories of Palamite Hesychasm with its ideal of the transformation of the flesh, with the doctrine of the divine aspiration of human nature, the inseparability of earth and heaven.