The Allegory of the Holy Communion

This Post-Byzantine icon features Christ in the center, flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in a traditional Deësis composition. Surrounding him are the four creatures of the Tetramorph and angels bearing the instruments of the Passion, while a book in his hand displays a Gospel passage concerning the bread of life. At the base, a complex armillary sphere representing the heavens serves as a footstool, underscoring his role as the cosmic ruler.

This work represents the synthesis of liturgical theology and cosmic order, common in the Cretan School of icon painting. The inclusion of the armillary sphere reflects the Neoplatonic concept of the 'Christ-Logos' as the ordering principle of the physical and celestial universe, a theme central to Eastern Orthodox and early modern natural philosophy.