Watch Living Prayer in Christianity Online | Vimeo On Demand

Name: Watch Living Prayer in Christianity Online | Vimeo On Demand
Uploaded: 2026-02-21T14:59:44+00:00
Duration: 3 min 5 s
Channel: Lubtchansky

To approach the essence of Christianity, documentary director Jean-Claude Lubtchansky (1930-2020) used the support of icons. Illustrating biblical events, icons emerged in the early centuries of Christianity as windows into the sacred, making the invisible visible. Their development is closely linked to theology, liturgy, and monastic practice.  In the film, three main locations emerge where icons continue to live as forms of prayer within Christianity. From its very origins, Saint Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the divine was revealed to Moses, preserves some of the oldest surviving icons and remains a place of living, intense practice. For generations, monks have continued the Prayer of the Heart taught by the Fathers of the Desert, sustaining an unbroken lineage of contemplation. The presence of these icons bridges centuries of devotion, reminding us that the icon is not only an image, but a living threshold.  On the Greek monastic peninsula of Mount Athos, entirely dedicated to contemplative life, icon painting remains a central spiritual discipline. The act of painting is inseparable from prayer, silence, and liturgy, as the iconographer works to reveal a presence rather than express individuality. Yet this rhythm extends beyond the icon workshop: tending gardens, preparing meals, and caring for the land all follow the same contemplative cadence, so that work and worship belong to a single, continuous practice shaped by devotion.  In Russia, icons entered the heart of daily devotion, their luminous colours and quiet intensity accompanying both communal worship and intimate prayer, giving form to an inner life. Beyond monastic settings, the importance of gathering and community in everyday life and celebrations reflects a constant awareness of the divine presence, whether one chooses to engage with it or not. Divine action is perceived as a twofold movement: one that descends into darkness and suffering, and another that lifts toward the luminous sphere of the sacred.  The narration is based on sacred traditional orthodox sources.  This content is licensed for private and domestic use only. For enquiries regarding public screenings, please do not hesitate to contact us. livingprayerin at gmail dot com  ----------------------------  Pour approcher l’essence du Christianisme Orthodoxe, Jean-Claude Lubtchansky (1930-2020) a posé sa caméra dans des lieux où la pratique de la prière et la dévotion restent très vivantes soutenues par la forte présence des icônes.  Depuis les origines le monastère de Sainte-Catherine en Egypte, au pied du Mont Sinai où le divin se révéla à Moise est un lieu de pèlerinage. De génération en génération les moines perpétuent la prière du coeur enseignée par les pères du desert. Dans ce lieu chargé d’histoire sont conservées les plus anciennes icônes où le sens du sacré se révèle.  Sur la péninsule monastique du Mont Athos en Grèce, une vie contemplative intense est partagée par des moines venus du monde entier. La peinture des icônes comme les tâches de la vie communautaire sont des supports pour exercer la prière en continue, Seigneur ayez pitié.  En Russie aussi les icônes ont pénétré le coeur de la dévotion populaire. Les grands peintres d’icônes ont su représenter tous les mystères de la liturgie. De grands monastères perdu jusqu’aux confins de l’immense territoire, restent habités par une ferveur étonnante.  Enfin un moine solitaire, dans la campagne anglaise, nous distille les fondements de la tradition orthodoxe.  La narration est basée sur des textes de la tradition Orthodoxe. Pour visionner la version française, activer l'audio français et les sous-titres français pour la traduction des interviews.  -------  Per la versione sottotitolata in italiano, scegliere la voce in francese e i sottotitoli in italiano.

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Living Prayer in Christianity