Candleholder

Authors’ Comment

In the narthex of the Orthodox Church in Munich, on the eastern wall, among the frescoes depicting the faces of the saints and their multi-colored vestments, a wide stage is built with in steps of lights, like an amphitheater on the cornice of which the old and new founders are standing. Like the large gatherings of the founders' communities depicted in the narthex of the churches in the south of the Carpathians, without distinguishing the living from the dead, here they all gather together, as if in a chorus, holding the model of the church.

The narthex is illuminated by the direct intervention of those who will light the candles and thus the entire setting will transform through the flickering of the torches – the silhouettes will also multiply, creating groups of shadows projected on the curved brass background. This is the image of the candleholder that we will see in the coming years, along with the completion of the mural.

The brass candleholder is composed of a series of steps, with a sloped ceiling allowing the circulation of the hot air flow which is directed behind the tin curves. At its base, there are drawers for new candles and key-locked boxes for those willing to leave donations. The frame is to be withdrawn from the surface of the fresco painting, giving the feeling of a niche sculpted into the thick wall of the church.