Today we will look at another cross, but not the usual kind. We can tell that right away by the presence of the winged angel on it. But why is the angel there, and who is he?
Metal icons often show wear from long use, and the fact that the owners liked to polish them with chalk did not help to preserve surface detail. That is why we often find fine details on metal icons worn smooth.
The kind of cross shown here had a string or cord through the upper part. So it is a breast or pectoral cross.
The image at the top is the “Not Made by Hands” type, depicting the face of Jesus on the cloth. But again, who is the angel?
In spite of wear, one can tell that he carries a long rod (мери́ло — merilo) in one hand, and a mirror (зерцало — zertsalo) in the other. One might, therefore, expect him to be an Archangel. But traditionally, this type of cast metal cross of an angel with the crossbar at his head is identified as the Ангел Великого Совета — Angel Velikogo Soveta — the “Angel of Great Counsel.”
We have already seen another “Angel of Great Counsel” type in icons of Jesus as the Blagoe Molchanie — the “Blessed Silence.” And this metal cross is another form of Jesus as the “Angel of Great Counsel.” Pectoral crosses of this type are often from the 18th century, though one may find them a little earlier and later as well.
ICONS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION 