The Cross has a foot piece where Jesus rested his feet, the small crossbar is for the inscription - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.	Icons are a central feature of Orthodox worship
The use of candles and light is an essential part of the Orthodox liturgy	Bishop Basil of Sergievo delivering the Blessing

Since 'Orthos' (Gr.) means right, close to origins, Orthodox Christianity claims that it is the closest to the Early Church in its belief, and especially in its practice, and that is of apostolic origins.

All members of the Church hold the same opinion on substantial and more general matters, while on personal issues the confessor might give different advice to persons who apparently face the same problem. This is because the Church, as did Jesus Christ, acknowledges that each person has his/her individuality, background, strength, etc..

The ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church (at the moment Bartholomew l) resides in Constantinople, the capital of the former Byzantine Empire. The Churches in countries where Orthodoxy is the main religion are autocephalous, i.e. have their own Patriarch and Synod (the Church Council), but as a whole, the Church follows the general rules issued in Constantinople.

Orthodox Christians make Jesus Christ, in his double nature (fully human and, at the same time, fully divine - as the Son of God), the central figure of their lives. They express this reality in the Creed, as it was formulated by the Synod held in Nicaea in 325 AD. They also believe in the Holy Trinity as the threefold manifestation of God into the world (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit). They venerate Mary, Christ's Mother (the Theotokos - the God bearer); after her death her body was taken into Heaven where she is the 'the Queen of the angels', as the rich Byzantine hymnology (still chanted to this day by the Orthodox choirs) call her.

The celebration of Christ's Resurrection is the most important religious feast (Pascha); on Easter night people light candles and go three times around their church building. The Orthodox believe that Jesus' blood on the cross washed away human sins, including the Adamic one (this is why the cross is venerated) and that carrying one's cross on God's path is the way to Salvation.

Elena covers her head and lights a candle on entry to the church

The most characteristic feature of Orthodoxy, as compared to the other Christian denominations, is the stress it places on the role of the Tradition, as it was established by both the Fathers of the Church (especially, but not exclusively, of those who lived before the eighth century), and of the Church Councils or Synods. Many of the canons issued by the Early Church are still followed today, though some have been adapted to modern conditions. For people outside Orthodoxy, the Orthodox Church can seem past-oriented and conservative, but for "the Orthodox themselves [...] loyalty to Tradition means not primarily the acceptance of formulae or customs from past generations, but rather the ever-new, personal and direct experience of the Holy Spirit in the present, here and now. This is because the need for living experience is very important in Orthodox Christianity."

The Church service revolves around the celebration of the Liturgy, which includes a reading from the Gospel and the Eucharist (Holy Communion) - believed to be the ontological transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

Icons, another important feature within the Orthodox Church, have a role to play in the Liturgy, since an icon depicting the saint or the holy event of the day is placed in the centre of the church. People light candles, bow and kiss the icons when entering and exiting the church.

Traditionally, an Orthodox church does not have chairs for the believers to sit in during the service (except for a few pews for elderly people), and women cover their heads on entering the church.

Much of the service is conducted behind the altar doors or iconostasis. Bishop Basil officiates. Bishop Basil was ordained deacon in 1969, priest in 1973, and Bishop in 1993.

Icon depicting the Communion of the Apostles, St Nicholas Church (Biserica Sfântul Nicolae), Curtea de Arges, Romania, 1350

Seven mysteries are essential to Orthodoxy:

1. Baptism by complete immersion, representing the death to sin and the re-birth in a pure life dedicated to Christ. It is customary to baptize babies; they have a God-parent or a God-family, who guarantee the child's upbringing on God's path and who are responsible towards God for the soul of the child until his/her consciousness fully develops;




The Font

2. The christmation, anointment after baptism, which is a part of the same initiation rite and a welcoming into community;
3. Holy Communion, when the transubstantiation happens;
4. Anointment for the healing of the soul and body, which takes place many times in life, as different from christmation, which only happens once;
5. Marriage, which is supposed to bind a man and a woman for ever (although, in special circumstances, the divorce and the re-marrying of the divorcees is accepted);
6. Confession of sins to reconcile people with the Church;
7. Ordination of priests, who receive the Holy Spirit to guide them into the ministry; a bishop lays his hands on the head of the man who becomes a priest (It is not permitted for a woman to become a priest).

During all events in the Church, such as during the Liturgy and Vigil, a choir, formed by believers who are not always professional musicians, sings prescribed chants from the Byzantine tradition (in its many variants) for each moment of the service.

The Orthodox Church is hierarchical. The priests are usually married, but they can also choose to become celib priests. Of course, there are priests among monks too. A bishop can be either a monk, or a widower. Traditionally, priests are bearded, and their attire resembles the Byzantine fashion (especially the episcopal mitre).

In order to become a deacon (who helps the priest at the altar, which is behind doors that do not open very frequently during the Liturgy), a man has to undergo a procedure similar, to a degree, to that of the ordination of a priest.

Even today, monasticism is a not an uncommon option for young men and women. It is based on a life of asceticism, obedience, continuous prayer, and labour.

Prayer is important also in the life of lay people. They pray in the morning, before and after each meal, and in the evening. Prayers are usually said in front of the 'beautiful corner' of the house (where the icons hang, on the eastern wall). During Lent, and forty days before Christmas, the Orthodox, in addition to a more intense time of prayer, fast in their own way: they keep a strict vegan diet. (Before Christmas, the fast is more relaxed, with fish being allowed on certain days).

When entering the church, believers are expected to offer a small piece of bread to the altar (prosphora), in addition to a list with the names of the living and departed members of their families to be read by the priest during the preparation of the Holy Gifts for Communion, when the Holy Spirit is invoked, and to honour the icon of the day.

In Sunday schools children are taught, among other things, prayers for their needs, and ways in which to put their practice into action by doing charitable works.

Mother of God with the Child (on the left side),
tempera on wood with a golden background,
by Maria-Magdalena Serban.

A student painting a fresco

One of the mosaics he was working on in June 2002,
Faculty of Theology Bucharest/Plumbuita Monastery's workshop.

The icon of Troitsa (Holy Trinity), Andrei Rublev (of Radonezh), 1425, tempera on panel, 142x114 cm, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; Georgii Karlovich Vagner and Alina Sergeevna Kukles, Andronikov Monastyr: fotoalbom, Iskusstvo Publishing House, Moscow, 1972, illustration p.120, caption p.122, (figure 18 in that album).

Other (hopefully useful) data:

In the UK, the number of Orthodox Christians is about 200,000 - 300,000, and it is in a continuous expansion.

Since the Constantinian settlement in the fourth century the Church has accepted capital punishment, but in very limited circumstances. It is interesting to note that the Russian Church, in its Social Concept document of 2000, comes out against capital punishment, thus rejoining the tradition of the Early Church. The Orthodox are against abortion.

Bishop Basil of Sergievo was ordained deacon in 1969, priest in 1973, and Bishop in 1993.