Page 61 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(2) (2024)

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Figure 9: The Second Coming of Christ, Dečani Monastery, Courtesy of BLAGO Fund, Inc

done”; and “Then will appear the sign of the Son ated all aspects of thought and spiritual activi-
of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of ty in the medieval world, serving as a powerful
the earth will mourn when they see the Son of and ever-present reminder of the ultimate ful-
Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with pow- filment of God’s promise. The sensory elements Analysis of the Sense Perception in the Fresco Painting of the Dečani Monastery
er and great glory” (Davidov Temerinski 1995, of this composition are striking and deliberate.
193). Christ’s descent from heaven, surrounded by an-
The trumpets the angels hold serve as the gels and enveloped in the radiant light of the
audible manifestation of God’s judgment at the mandorla, creates a visual spectacle that is both
end of time. There is a clear etiological connec- awe-inspiring and overwhelming. The sound of
tion between the Book of Life, the seven trum- the trumpets, signalling the final judgment, res-
pets, and the seven bowls of wrath, with the final, onates with a sense of urgency and inevitability,
seventh trumpet signifying the commencement reminding the faithful of the seriousness of the
of God’s wrath (Rv 8:6–12; 9:1–21). The compo- moment/process. The presence of historical and
sition also includes the figures of the Mother of biblical figures gazing upward in reverence and
God, John the Baptist, the holy apostles, and no- awe adds a layer of emotional intensity to the
table figures from Serbian history, emphasizing scene as they witness the culmination of divine
the universal and timeless nature of the event. As prophecy. This depiction of the Second Com-
Todić notes, the Second Coming of Christ is in- ing is not just a visual narrative but an immer-
evitable and assured, marking the final stage of sive experience that engages the viewer’s senses
salvation (Todić and Čanak-Medić 2005, 448). and emotions, drawing them into the anticipa-
This eschatological belief profoundly perme- tion and reverence that accompanies the return