The Great Schema (Analavos)
(Orthodox Tradition)
Story of Cruciform Living
On the shoulder of the Eastern monk lies the analavos: a sacred, embroidered emblem of the Great Schema — the highest monastic profession in the Orthodox Christian tradition. This pendant takes that ancient emblem and makes it wearable: a compressed, single-face medallion that names a life entirely given to Christ’s Passion, death, and risen life. There is no lettering by design; the images themselves speak the vow.
The Great Schema (Greek megaloschema) developed from the early monastic desert and Byzantine traditions and found particular expression in the monasticism of Sinai, Mount Athos, and later Slavic lands. The analavos — the cross-shaped outer garment or breastpiece — gathers a compact iconography that turns a monk’s robe into a living catechesis: stitched into cloth or carved into metal are signs of the Cross, the instruments of Christ’s Passion, the ladder of ascent, the skull of Golgotha, and angels who watch over the soul’s journey. Over centuries these images moved from textiles and wall mosaics into liturgical practice; a schema-monastic wears the analavos as both cloak and confession: “I am crucified with Christ.”
Reading the symbols (On the pendant)
Different monasteries and iconographers vary; the pendant, like traditional analavoi, gathers the same family of images. Here are the elements commonly present and the meanings they carry. The Cross is the heart of the analavos: the monk’s life is lived in the Cross. The Cross is both altar and horizon — the place of Christ’s self-giving and the path the monk follows. Instruments of the Passion recall Christ’s suffering and the monk’s identification with it; they point the wearer toward repentance, humility, and imitation. The Ladder, borrowed from The Ladder of Divine Ascent (St John Climacus), it signifies the arduous ascent to union with God: prayer, fasting, and ascetic struggle. The Skull (memento mori) is Golgotha and the reality of death: the monk lives as one who has died to the world and stands at the threshold of resurrection. Crown of Thorns / Halo reminds us that Christ’s kingship is paradoxical — royalty through self-emptying. Ornamental foliage or laurel, sometimes included as a sign of victory in the spiritual contest — the laurel that crowns the martyr and the ascetic alike.
All together, the array is not decorative only: it is a wearable icon — a condensed gospel narrative that turns garment into sermon and life into liturgy. It is public confession wearing the analavos image outwardly, proclaiming a life formed by Christ’s Cross. It is not an honor badge, but a reminder of daily repentance, vigilance, and prayer.
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Find The Gold Variations Here.
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Sizing Chart (Without Bail)
30mm X 20mm X 2.3mm
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Shipping & Returns
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