This Great and Angelic monastic schema is made of durable black fabric of excellent quality. The embroidery made with red thread depicts the Cross adorned with the instruments of the Passion of Christ and surrounded by abbreviations.
Great and Angelic schema symbolizes the second baptism of the schemamonks and schemanuns. It is a sign of perfect monasticism, symbol not only of humble wisdom and gentleness, but also of the Cross, of suffering, of Christ’s wounds, of constant dying with Christ.
The spear and the sponge. To the right and left of the cross stand the instruments of the Passion. On one side there is the sponge, which they used to give vinegar to Jesus when He was thirsty, while on the other there is the spear with which they pierced His body.
The base of the cross. As mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew: They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). (27:33)
The skull and the bones. Placed at the base of the cross, they symbolize the first man. Thus, a parallel is drawn between Adam, as the first man of the Old Testament, and Christ, who, through his incarnation and death, became the first man of the New Testament.
ΙΣ ΧΣ ΝΙΚΑ (Ιησούς Χριστός Νικά) — Jesus Christ Conquers (According to tradition, the Christogram comes from a vision of Emperor Constantine, who saw a cross accompanied by the inscription "Ἐν τούτῳ νίκα" (In this, conquer). It thus became a symbol of every victory and, primarily, of the victory over death)
ΞΖ (Ξύλον Ζωής) — Wood of Life
Color: Black
Embroidery: Cross-stitch
Size: 10*9cm
