Epitaphios (liturgical)

Semi-Autonomous: The Epitaphios (Greek: Ἐπιτάφιος, epitáphios, or Ἐπιτάφιον, epitáphion, meaning "upon the tomb"; Slavonic: Плащаница, plashchanitsa; Arabic: نعش, naash) is a Christian religious icon, typically consisting of a large, embroidered and often richly adorned cloth, bearing an image of the dead body of Christ, often accompanied by his mother and other figures, following the Gospel account.

The Epitaphios is also a common short form of the Epitáphios Thrēnos, the "Lamentation upon the Grave" in Greek,[citation needed] which is a major part of the service of the Matins of Holy Saturday (now typically performed the evening of Good Friday).

In Greek the word has, inter alia, the meaning of both the English epitaph and the liturgical one presented here, the latter having been acquired during the Christian period.

[3] Shown around him, and mourning his death, may be his mother; John the beloved disciple; Joseph of Arimathea; and Mary Magdalene, as well as angels.

The image may be embroidered or painted on fabric or some other substrate, which is then mounted in a wide cloth border (burgundy is the most common colour) often edged in gold fringe.

Usually, the troparion of Holy Saturday is embroidered in gold letters around the edges of the icon: In the Late Byzantine period, the icon depicting the burial of Jesus was commonly painted below a Christ Pantocrator in the apse of the prothesis (the chapel where the Liturgy of Preparation was performed) in Orthodox churches, illustrating a liturgical hymn which celebrated Christ "On the throne above and in the tomb below".

[5] The icon, in particular a panel mosaic version taken to Rome, probably in the 12th century, developed in the West into the subject Man of Sorrows, which was enormously popular in the Late Middle Ages, though that image shows a living Christ, normally with eyes open.

The Epitaphios is used on the last two days of Holy Week in the Byzantine rite, as part of the ceremonies marking the death and resurrection of Christ.

Prior to the Apokathelosis, Vespers on the afternoon of Great Friday, the priest and deacon will place the Epitaphios on the Holy Table.

The Tomb is often sprinkled with flower petals and rosewater, decorated with candles, [4] and ceremonially censed as a mark of respect.

In Slavic churches, the service of Compline will be served next, during which a special Canon will be chanted which recalls the lamentations of the Theotokos.

One such hymn is stradal'na maty (страдальна мати), the contents of which approximate the Stabat Mater, and may be heard here: [5] The priest may hear confessions at the Epitaphios, and he may anoint people who were not able to be present for the Unction service earlier in the week.

Those unable to attend the church service will often come out to balconies and sidewalks where the procession passes, holding lit candles and sometimes hand-held censers.

In many towns where more than one parishes exist, the processions often converge to a single spot, e.g. a square, where they temporarily stop and a common Triságion is sung before they resume their routes.

[citation needed] During the Midnight Office, after the Usual Beginning and Psalm 50, the Canon of Great Saturday, repeated from the preceding Matins as a reflection upon the meaning of Christ's death and his Harrowing of Hell.

The Rite of the "Burial of the Theotokos" began in Jerusalem, and from there it was carried to Russia, where it was used in the Uspensky (Dormition) cathedral in Moscow.

Its use has slowly spread among the Russian Orthodox, though it is not by any means a standard service in all parishes, or even most cathedrals or monasteries.