By Ethan Bullock

More Than “Just Another Saint”

The icon of Saint Basil the Great on the sanctuary wall of Holy Trinity – Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama, uses basic symbols and artistic decisions to represent Basil’s contributions to the development of the orthodox faith, but has much more simplicity than in western traditions of artistry in order to show his similarity and equivalence with other saints. Art has been used across the ages to represent stories and people of importance through symbolism and associations. Christian iconography is no exception, as the icons depicted in paintings, wall art, statues, and stained-glass windows alike contain meaningful symbols to represent the importance of the individual represented as it pertains to the location. The icon of St. Basil represents the importance of his actions and works to the development of liturgies and understandings in the Orthodox church, describing more than the simple fact that he is a saint.

Basil the Great

Life

Basil the Great, or Basil of Caesarea, is known for many works influencing the early church and the philosophy during his time. Born around 330, Basil was raised as a Christian academic, which encouraged him to pursue philosophy as his career. He traveled around the Near East and into Africa collaborating with other philosophers and theologians to mature his beliefs and views. He returned home and planned his secular career as a philosopher, but was instead influenced by his sister Macrina to enter into a monastic life with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his close friend Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian. These men came to be known as the Great Cappadocians. Their writings aided the development of Christology and the doctrine of the Trinity (Nichols 2016). Basil was also made bishop of Caesarea after the death of Eusebius. This allowed him to influence the church more directly.

Works

While serving as bishop, Basil contributed many works to the church, including a summary of the orthodox faith that defended the orthodox faith against Arianism. The Arian emperor Valens opposed orthodoxy in the late 300s, and Basil was effectively the primary defender of the orthodox faith in this time period (Hardy 2023). Additionally, the Asketikon of Basil the Great set the saint’s monastic rule, emphasizing prayer as the most important aspect of monasticism (Silvas 2005). Basil did not always work by himself. Others, such as the Cappadocians, to communicate the faith. He worked with his brother and Gregory of Nazianzus to develop liturgies and eucharistic prayers, creating works that would last for centuries. In fact, the Nicene Creed that is still used in the twenty-first century was influenced by Basil’s teachings, and his Cappadocian partners had a direct hand in the expansion of the creed of the Council of Nicaea (325) by the First Council of Constantinople (381) into the version that we know today (Nichols 2016). Additionally, Basil wrote the eucharistic liturgy that is still used regularly for major feasts, such as Easter and Christmas.

Theology

St. Basil’s theology shifted the focus of many Christians in his time by highlighting the importance of prayer, preaching, and philosophy. Given his education in secular philosophy and science, Basil was able to find a way to balance the validity of science and God together, explaining that one does not eliminate the possibility of the other (Costache 2010). Although this debate still exists in today’s society, Basil’s claims that God created the world to be explained–by what we know as science–allowed for a new manner of thinking for the church. Furthermore, Basil believed in the Holy Trinity, a doctrine thought to be developed only in response to the Arian controversies Basil confronted in his time as bishop of Caesarea (Hildebrand 2014). The trinitarian beliefs of the Cappadocians were not quite original, but Basil’s company was very influential in the writing of texts to define the doctrine of trinitarianism.

Image Contents and Importance

The image of Basil is displayed in the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama, on the apse of the sanctuary. The icon is accompanied by figures of several other bishops: John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius of Alexandria, Spyridon of Trimithous, Cyril of Alexandria, and James Brother of the Lord. In the middle of them all is a depiction of Jesus, who is shown suffering death on the cross surrounded by those who would become his servants. Basil is the first saint to the right of the Crucifix when viewed from the nave, showing his importance. However, the iconography of the bishops is quite uniform, as the six saints all hold the same book of scripture and wear the same kind of vestment. The vestment seen on Basil has a green and white pattern; green is often used on important holidays, specifically the Feast of Monastic Saints, indicating Basil’s monkhood. However, green is often used more in modern times to represent hope, such as hope for everlasting peace (Kosloski 2017). This relates to Basil’s hope and courage in the face of threats by the Arian emperor Valens, who threatened him with banishment, beatings, and death in an attempt to convince him to revoke his arguments against the Arians (2023).

The positioning of Basil’s hand is one often associated with blessings that represents the initial letters of the name “Christ Jesus” (Esparza 2021), expressing his significant role in the church and offering healing through Christ as a preacher and monk. Additionally, his hand shape is similar to Gregory the Theologian, the other Cappadocian depicted on the wall. This shows their connection as friends and writing partners. The only identifying features of Basil in this depiction are the tall face and long beard, which are typically used to represent him, and a label on either side of his head stating his name. The similarity between his figure and the others on the same wall is likely to be intentional, indicating that the theologians all have similar standing in God’s kingdom despite the differences in their contributions. The art as a whole uses a Byzantine style of placing figures on a gold background to make the figure appear to be between the viewer and the wall (Britannica, 2022). Although many of these artistic decisions may go unnoticed, the underlying meaning remains as an important representation of Basil and his impact on the orthodox church.

Conclusion

Despite the possibility of a deep understanding of the icon, most people might simply view it as a depiction of “just another saint,” passing him over due to his lack of acclaimed works in the greater society. In comparison to the likes of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Thomas Aquinas, Basil’s relation to the Christian faith is lesser. However, his works laid the groundwork for most of the succeeding practices, publications, and doctrines regarding trinitarianism, monasticism, and prayer, making him an integral part of the church. Much like their view of Basil as “just another saint,” I believe that people overlook artwork as a whole, not appreciating the true gravity of decisions that go into the work’s existence and presence in a certain location. The depiction of St. Basil of Caesarea in the Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral has deep meaning, if one is simply willing to understand it.

St. Basil the Great
Medium: icon on the apse of the sanctuary
Location: Holy Trinity – Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 307 19th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama 35233

Bibliography

Costache, Doru. 2010. “Christian Worldview: Understandings from St Basil the Great.” Phronema 25 (November): 21-56.

Dinan, Andrew. 2009. “Manual Labor in the Life and Thought of St. Basil the Great.” Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought & Culture 12 (4): 133–57. http://www.doi.org/10.1353/log.0.0051.

Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2022. “Byzantine art.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Byzantine-art.

Esparza, Daniel. 2021. “What do the hand gestures in icons mean?” Aletia; San Francisco, CA: Aletia.[DB1]  https://aleteia.org/2016/06/12/what-do-hand-gestures-in-icons-mean/.

Hardy, Edward R. 2023. St. Basil the Great. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Basil-the-Great.

Hildebrand, Stephen M.. 2014. Basil of Caesarea. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014.

Holder, Arthur G. 1992. “Saint Basil the Great on Secular Education and Christian Virtue.” Religious Education 87 (3): 395. doi:10.1080/0034408920870307.

Kosloski, Philip. 2017. “5 Colors and their symbolism in sacred art.” Aletia. September 25, 2017. https://aleteia.org/2017/09/25/5-colors-and-their-symbolism-in-art/

Lafakis, Irene. 2023. “A Brief History of Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral.” Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral. https://holytrinity-holycross.com/site/ourStory.php

Nichols, Stephen. 2016. “The Three Cappadocians.” 5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols. Ligonier Ministries. https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/172-the-three-cappadocians

Orthodox Church in America. 2023. “Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.” Orthodox Church in America https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2016/01/01/100003-saint-basil-the-great-archbishop-of-caesarea-in-cappadocia.

Silvas, Anna M.. 2005. The Asketikon of St Basil the Great. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Ethan Bullock ‘27 was a student in UCS 102: Icons & Memorials in Samford University’s Howard College of Arts & Sciences in fall 2023.

Published: November 29, 2023