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Figure 8: Capitals of the Northwest and Southwest Columns, Church of the Virgin of the Black Mountain above Sensory Encounters: Decoding the Symbolism of St Nicholas Church in Ljuboten
the village of Mateič (Matejče Monastery; photo Jasmina S. Ćirić)
The shell’s placement in conjunction with hymn, a key text in Eastern Christian liturgy, in-
the ram’s head, especially on the portal orient- cludes the invocation: ‘Rejoice, O Door through
ed towards the entrance of the church, resonates whom the Salvation came into the world,’ high-
with its more profound theological implications. lighting the Virgin Mary’s role as a gateway to
The portal itself, often associated with the Vir- Divine salvation (Klein 2006, 79–99; Bulgakov
gin Mary as the ‘Door of Salvation,’ echoes the 2009, 69).
significance of this symbolism. The Akathystos In the context of the west façade, where fig-
ures of Christ and the Virgin Mary were prom-
their symbolic significance in medieval royal and ecclesi- inently depicted, the shell serves as a visual and
astical contexts.
