Egg tempera on wood panel

Pantocrator is a Greek term which literally means “All-Powerful” or “Ruler of All”, commonly translated as “Almighty”, though it covers a wide range of meanings.

The iconographic type known as Christ Pantocrator ("Christ, Ruler of All") is one of the most important icons in Byzantine and Russian art, occupying central positions in the temples, namely: in the narthex, inside the central dome, inside the half-dome of the apse, or upon the Royal Door of the Iconostasis – the icon screen which separates the nave from the sacred altar or sanctuary within Orthodox temples.

Pantocrator icons often follow an archetype which was presumably modelled with a realistic, historic perspective, revealing both the human and the divine nature of Jesus - according to tradition, a genuine portrait.

The Messiah, in frontal, half-length pose, raises His hand in blessing, His fingers arranged in a symbolic position that can be interpreted as an inscription of His Holy Name. In His left hand He holds a Book of Gospels, a symbol of the Revelation of the Divine Verb.