LANDSCAPE AS A SIGN OF SACRED SPACE : SEMIOTICS OF NATURE IN THE BYZANTINE ICONOGRAPHIC CANON

Abstract

In this article, a comprehensive cultural study is conducted on the landscape as a visual component of the icons semiosphere. The author analyzes nature (physis) as an unstable and temporary phenomenon within the biblical worldview, which directly influenced the formation of the specific imagery of medieval icon painting. The landscape in the icon is viewed as a symbolic reflection of spiritual reality, expressing the idea of the fragility and impermanence of material Creation. Depictions of nature in iconography are based not on the principle of mimesis characteristic of ancient art, but on the attempt to convey hidden spiritual meanings through stylization and the conventionality of forms. The article is based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining methods of cultural studies, art history, and theology, allowing for a comprehensive examination of the sacred semiotics of natural imagery.
The analysis covers a range of representative plots from the Byzantine iconographic canon, including «The Transfiguration of Christ», «The Prophet Elijah», «The Good Shepherd», «The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt», and the genre of «visions» (e. g., «The Vision of Saint Eustathius Placidas»). Special attention is paid to the ways natural environments are stylized and to the symbolic meaning attached to these elements within the sacred visual language. The study emphasizes that landscape elements (rocks, trees, streams, depictions of animals, etc.) in iconography function not merely (or even primarily) as realistic objects but carry additional semantic meaning, acting as signs of higher spiritual truths and thus creating layers of meaning. Nature loses its autonomy and becomes part of the divine hierarchy of being.
Specifically, the mountain symbolizes the place of divine revelation, the rock signifies the steadfastness of God's nature, water embodies purification and new life, and trees symbolize the Cross and salvation. Animals, such as the raven and the deer, appear as intermediaries between the earthly and heavenly realms, enhancing the sacred content of the depicted scenes.
Particular attention is given to the deformation and stylization of natural forms, highlighting the instability and transience of the material world in the context of Christian eschatological thought. The Byzantine icon constructs a new type of space-a space of spiritual reality ‒ where matter is symbolically «transfigured» and subordinated to the invisible Divine order. Thus, the landscape does not simply accompany the sacred narrative but becomes an integral part of its semiotic structure, an active participant in the formation of religious meanings.