The Christmas Bell

The master's work is dedicated to the great event of the Nativity of Christ. This interior decoration is made in the form of a bell tower, in which a festive bell is placed. It serves as a miniature image of a church bell, expressing the triumph of the Orthodox Church. On the body of the bell is an icon of the Nativity of Christ, where the Baby Jesus lies in a manger, and the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph bent over him, sharing the joy of the Savior's arrival. The Day of the Nativity of Christ is counted among the great twelve feasts, which serves as the beginning and foundation for other church celebrations. The God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in the Bethlehem cave, intended for a stable. "The mystery is strange and glorious," the Holy Church sings, "Heaven is a nativity scene; the Cherubic Throne is a Virgin; the manger is a receptacle, and in them lies the irreplaceable Christ God" (irmos of the 9th canto of the canon). The Blessed Virgin, who gave birth to the Infant, "take Him in and lay him in a manger" (Luke 2). To the right of Jesus is an image of the three magi who came to worship the Infant. The Magi, led by a star, brought gifts from the East ― gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts had a symbolic meaning: gold was presented to Jesus as the King of Judea; frankincense was a recognition of the divinity of Christ; myrrh was a prophecy of the Savior's death. The left part of the icon is occupied by the image of the shepherds' worship. This art scene dates back to the end of the 15th century and figuratively reflects the plot of the Gospel of Luke (2:18). The composition closes with a scroll with a festive troparion: Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hast raised up the light of reason in the world, for in it we serve the stars and worship Thee, the Sun of Truth, and lead Thee from the heights of the East. Lord, glory to You! The sound ring is encircled by decorative hoops in the form of twisted ribbons, grass ornaments and relief stripes. The frieze of the bell has a flower rosette with petals radiating from the center of the composition. The four-lobed crown intercepts the decorative buttonhole in the form of an eight-pointed star of Bethlehem. The dome has a floral rosette with a pearl rim and petal ornament. The bell's tongue is shaped like a mace. The drum part with the endpiece is decorated with a magnificent ornament, and relief flutes run along the tongue rod. The Christmas bell is placed in the belfry, above which stands a church crown with a cross. The base of the belfry is decorated with imitation stone rustics. There are twisted columns around the edges supporting the vault. An openwork ornament is woven under the plowshare roof, on which a festive bell is fixed.