Art With a Higher Purpose: ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent’

A Byzantine and Orthodox Christian treasure

Only the devout can conquer the earthly temptations on each rung of the ladder to salvation. In this detail of "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," Christ welcomes a monk, at the top of the ladder, into heaven. PD-US

For centuries, Byzantine art acted like a compass, orienting the devout in their faith and, ultimately, guiding them to their salvation. The Byzantine artist painted in a specific style, a visual language if you like, that Orthodox Christians understood. “His role was akin to that of the priesthood and the exercise of his talent a kind of liturgy—liturgy in a sense almost sacramental—rather than a didactic function,” as stated in “The Oxford Companion to Art.”

Every part of Byzantine art brings the devout closer to God. “The arrangement of mosaics or paintings in a church, the choice of subjects, even the attitudes and expressions of the characters, were all determined according to a traditional scheme charged with theological meaning.”

Art to Ascend By

In Saint Catherine’s Monastery, at the base of Mount Sinai in Egypt, visitors can view a remarkable 12th-century icon that epitomizes Byzantine art: “The Ladder of Divine Ascent.” Byzantine artists made the work to remind Orthodox monks of the constant vigilance needed to triumph over evil, and the righteousness required to reach heaven.