He is Image of Invisible God: the Cistercian Spirituality Focused on Christ as a Source and Background of Images

Abstract

This papers considers the image of Christ understood as an image of Gor in the Cistercian culture and the Cistercian spirituality. The image of Christ  assumes the different shapes and different iconographical types.  The first  and the most  eminent image is the Crucifixion, because it  express the Cistercian contemplation of suffering Jesus.  Then, the depictions of Mary, Mother of God brought the image of Christ. In fact the iconographical types of Sedes Sapientiae, Pietá, and Hodegetria displayed Mother of God with Jesus. They played an enormous role, because Mary presented  his Son – as  child or as a dead Savior. to the audience. The Cistercian spiritual masters – Bernard of Clairvaux,  Guillaume de Saint Thierry and Gueric d’Igny created  the images of Christ in the Mystery of Incarnation and the Mystery of Redemption. The presence of images of Christ inspired the Cistercians monks to the contemplation, whose the particular  attitude was desire.