The icon of the “The Harrowing of Hades,” sometimes called the “Anastasis,” depicts Jesus on Holy Saturday when he broke open the gates of hell and rescued the Holy Souls who had been awaiting their redeemer. The rich symbolism of iconography serves to catechize the faithful on deeper truths of their faith through images.
The central figure of the icon is Christ. He triumphantly descends into Hell to retrieve the faithful who have died before his coming. He stands upon the broken gates of Hell that have been cracked apart and torn open.
Christ is flanked on either side by Adam and Eve who represent all mankind, from the beginning of time. Christ’s salvation reaches even to the very beginning— all of creation is made new! Note that Christ is pulling Adam and Eve up by holding their wrists, rather than hand in hand. Man cannot pull himself up to earn salvation, but rather we need the mercy of a Savior.
The other figures that surround Christ are the holy men and women who have died before Christ’s coming. Oftentimes, the icon includes Old Testament heroes such as David and Solomon who we see depicted with crowns and halos on the left.
On the right we see the prominent placement of John the Baptist. He is often depicted holding a scroll that foretells the coming of Christ— “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
At the very bottom of the icon we see Lucifer, tied and gagged, being held down with the help of two archangels. Sometimes representations of this icon will include many chains and keys that have been broken apart and scattered, indicating how Christ has unfettered man from the bondage of sin.
Surrounding the Evil One, we see many dark shadowy images of angels which depict the fallen angels who turned away from God in Genesis. The angels of light that surround Christ hold long thin spears that are stabbing each demon below.
This ongoing battle between the angels reminds us that the war between good and evil wages on in our individual lives, but with the grace of God we are already assured of victory. O, Death where is thy sting? Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Although this icon depicts the events of Holy Saturday, it is fitting to reflect on for all the Easter Season since it depicts the Resurrected Christ and his gift of Eternal Life. While you pray with the icon, invite the Holy Spirit to inspire in your heart the gift of gratitude for the salvation brought to us at Easter Time.