Scenes of the Crucifixion, the Descent from the Cross, the Entombment of Christ, and the Resurrection, the main themes of the Christian faith, provide the faithful with a visual aid to contemplate sin, salvation, and redemption. The Fall of Man by Adam and Eve stained human souls with the original sin and salvation was only made possible through the sacrifice and the blood shed on the cross by the Son of God.

The Crucifixion icon reveals Christ’s figure embossed on a cross flanked by crucified thieves and framed by small scenes of Entombment in the upper corners. The skull at Christ’s feet alludes to the place name Golgotha (“place of the skull”) or Mount Calvary, as well as to the tradition that the Crucifixion occurred over the tomb of Adam, the first man. The three Marys, Saint John the Evangelist, and Saint Longinus stand at the sides of the cross.

The Pietà illustrates the Descent from the Cross: the sorrowful Mother is seated with the lifeless body of Christ stretched across her knees. The icon Mother of God, Don’t Cry for Me represents the entombment with the half-length figures of Mary and Saint John the Evangelist holding the bare-chested body of Christ over a stylized tomb.