Natalya Gladovska: 1 post

Scented Saints, Written Images, Endangered Heritage

Beautiful sillage is a sign of sainthood in the Orthodox tradition. The fragrance, or mirro (holy myrrh), can be emitted by real life saints, saint’s relics or even icons, painted images of saints. It’s common even today to hear stories of icons shedding myrrh and filling the whole church with the heavenly scent. Such events are called thaumata, a Greek word for wonders. They’re not miracles in the supernatural sense like walking on water or feeding 4,000 with seven loaves of bread. Thaumata are everyday marvels, brief glimpses of the divine through the veil covering us. The same kind of wonder is held responsible for icons, because to paint a saint it’s not enough simply to have artistic skills. One has to be inspired.

lavra-artist-studio1

“I didn’t mean to become an icon painter. It was never my goal as an art student. I can’t explain it, but in the end, that’s just what happened,” says Natalya Gladovska, an icon painter at the Lavra Art Studios. My mental image of an icon painter owes much to Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev–a somber bearded monk in black robes. Gladovska laughs when I tell her so. She’s warm and bubbly, and everything about her, down to her tendrils of abundant red hair escaping from a loose bun, is filled with energy and verve.

Continue reading →

Latest Comments

  • Jennifer Klein in Christian Dior Dior Addict : Perfume Review: I absolutely love the original Dior Addict! So it’s now 2024 and I’m trying to figure out which bottle is the original scent? Do you know if the original has… November 11, 2024 at 2:26am

  • Isabelle in Recommend Me a Perfume: October 2024: I am looking for a perfume smelling lire Elaeagnus x ebbingei flowers… do you have any suggestion ? Tanks Isabelle November 10, 2024 at 11:33am

  • Ellina in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: Ellina: Wow! I love chanel 22. Thats Very generous ❤️ 1: – The smell of the weather turning, Lush – Bonfire, Demeter – Ombre leather, Tom Ford 2: Yes, of… November 6, 2024 at 5:45pm

  • Ellina in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: Wow! I love chanel 22. Thats Very generous ❤️ 1: – The smell of the weather turning, Lush – Bonfire, Demeter – Ombre leather, Tom Ford 2: Yes, of course! November 6, 2024 at 5:44pm

Latest Tweets

Design by cre8d
© Copyright 2005-2024 Bois de Jasmin. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy