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Symbolism of the Church
MAR SHEMMON BAR SABBAE ASSYRIAN–CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN GEORGIA
We enter the church through the central door which is four meters high and the inscription above on the Aramaic says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me”. (Revelation 3,20)
Figures in the style of tree roots located in the corners directly below the inscription symbolize the Old Testament (the Pentateuch and the books of the prophets). The trees seem to bow in front of the date palm, located between the life-giving rivers. The date palm tree is the source of fertility and life in the desert of East. It symbolizes purity and peace. It is also regarded as a symbol of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gives peace and hope to the whole mankind and is an inexhaustible source of eternal life for all, thirsting in the desert of human selfishness and indifference.
From the central entrance you can see the grand staircase and three meter high door leading to the church hall. There are figures of angels holding a deer in one hand and a branch of a date tree in the other on the doors. This figure initially guarded one of the side doors of the throne room of king Ashurnasirpal and was called a “genius-keeper, holding a deer”. The angels depicted on the door of the church bless and invite to the temple everyone who thirsts to hear the life-giving word of God. The presence of two images on the doors and its size only strengthens the desire to bring believers to the word of God and embrace the whole mankind.
A deer is a favorable symbol associated with sun, sunrise, purity, renewal, rebirth, creation and spirituality. As the deer horns have similarity to the branches, image of the deer is connected with the tree of Life. In addition, the horns of the deer symbolize the sunrays and fertility. The deer is the symbol of ascetics, piety and purity in Christian culture. It also symbolizes the soul eager to hear the word of Christ: “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God”. (Psalm; 42, 1).
Date palm is one of the oldest cultivated plants known to mankind. It was first introduced into culture by ancient Sumerians and Assyrians. The date palm served as embodiment of the “cosmic” tree for peoples of the Middle East.
The dates (the fruits of the date tree) represented and still represent significant proportion of the diet of ancient eastern peoples. It was depicted on the walls of the pyramids, temples, seals and the bas-reliefs as a sign of respect. It is still called “blessed tree”, ”queen of the desert” in the East. Palm is also a classical symbol of fertility, prosperity and the emblem of victory. It is also regarded as a way of longevity and the palm branch symbolizes peace and tranquility. Later a palm branch (analogically with olive) began to symbolize peace and victory. Evergreen and slender palm tree is compared with the righteous man in Bible. In Christianity palm tree is a symbol of martyrdom and purity. Pilgrims got their name in honor of the palm branches they brought from the Holy Land.
There is The Sacred Tree of Life on the reverse side of the doors. From the ancient times the tree represents living cosmos, which is renewing infinitely. Many trees were considered sacred or magical in different cultures. A tree in its form is a symbol of development. Its branches represent diversity and depart from the trunk. The trunk in its turn, symbolizes the unity. The tree is also a symbol of life and is often identified with the source of immortality (The tree of life). Analogically it is the symbol of resurrection and rebirth. The branches of the Sacred Tree depicted on the door church are crowned by a date palm and a daisy.
Ancient people revered and considered a daisy as a flower dedicated to the Sun. Many illnesses were treated with its help. A daisy was the most common element in the Mesopotamian ornamentation. If you look at it from the top it looks like a round head of the blossoming flower. A daisy and its round form was perceived as a symbol of the sun, which denoted the phenomena of a cycle in the universe. The Bible states: “Everything comes back to its initial” It is also regarded as a symbol of hope, healing flower, that brings comfort and pacification. A daisy was often used in ornamentation by the people of Mesopotamia. This important ornament is presented in our church in abundance (on the doors, on the balcony of the church hall, on the floors and the bars).
On entering the church hall, the first thing that attracts your attention is the daisy on the marble slab floor and two undulating ribbons above and below it. These two ribbons symbolize the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, which have a vital importance to the peoples of Mesopotamia. The area between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates (the present day territory of Iraq) was called Mesopotamia. This territory was one of the cradles of the Eurasian civilization. A huge role was assigned to these rivers since ancient times. These are the most peculiar and remarkable rivers in the world by their significance in the lives of the peoples inhabiting their valleys. Through their channels they carried life- giving waters that nourished the soil and brought life and prosperity to people.
White color of the marble slab symbolizes purity and calmness a daisy is a hope, a green color of the ribbon is a symbol of life and modesty, red symbolizes martyrdom. The meaning of the picture as a whole delivers a message that if a person lives a life of conscience in accordance with the teaching of Lord and despite suffering and derivation does not move from the true path, remaining faithful to his principals, his life is finally illuminated by light of purity, hope and pacification.
Starting from the ornament of a daisy and rivers that is the source of initial life and light, the entire hall of the church is encircled by the ornament in the form of a chain. The chain is a symbol of connection ascending to the Biblical scene of struggle between Jacob and God. God, blessing Jacob, named him Israel, which translated from ancient Aramaic means "God bound”.
The image of the chain involves not only two joining elements but also conveys the idea of the existence of the consecutive links between them. The chain can symbolize the sacred marriage of heaven and earth. A chain is a concept of the universe, endowed with the characteristics of continuity, unity, cohesion and eternal connection between man and God. It also expresses the concept of equality among all the children of God. Four circles located in the corners of the hall connect all the chains and symbolize the evangelists who deliver and preach the words of God to four sides of the Earth without time and space limitations.
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Benches in the hall of the church symbolize believers, all those who adhere to the word of God. Located within the ornamental chain they symbolically represent voluntary imprisonment in the endless love and kindness of God. Chains seem to encircle benches, thereby strengthen the bond and unity of people with God as well as the connection between people in the church praying God with the universal church and thus, with all the believers on Earth.
The chain closes just in front of the altar and seamlessly merges with the image of the Sacred Tree of Life and with the daisy at the top. The whole image symbolizes the eternal life and light that we all gain from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is a marble slab with the image of the sun of Babylon, placed in a circle with a diameter of 1.5 m and decorated with peculiar elements in the center of the hall and the whole building.
The sun is a symbol of the highest universe powers, fame, glory and royalty. The sun also symbolizes life, victory of light over darkness, life over death and also the symbol of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. The sun is ringed with two circles that symbolize two natures of our lord-The Divine and The human.
2. The purple circle denotes the martyrdom of the Lord, eternal and heavenly life.
3. Green circle is a symbol of hope and life on earth.
4. Four semicircles symbolize the evangelists.
5. 12 ornaments in the shape of steps represent the disciples of Jesus Christ.
6. 12 rectangular figures located in the circle inside the disk symbolize 12 tribes of Israel, the Old Testament on which the New Testament and teaching of the lord are based.
Locating in the center of the building, which symbolizes the universe, the sun with its rays, lights up, sanctifies and blesses the entire universe, giving hope and love to the whole mankind.
