ikonostasis

Ikonostasis is the stand on which icons are placed at the front of Eastern Orthodox cathedrals. There is a strict order in which the personages appear: Mary with baby Jesus on the right, Christ on the left, John the Baptist on the right of Mary and so forth. The consistent order is reassuring. This chandelier is an ikonostasis of sorts ("a stand for icons"). It's from a big new cathedral that was built 2 years ago in my hometown, just across the street from my school. This picture, from last fall, gives me such a sense of calm and order. It reminds me that there is a divine, gold center in everyone, and in everything, despite the shades of gray, despite the confusion in our dome of existence. What we know is domed, it has a limit — but through the top, light streams in.