Bilder och vördnad : En undersökning av ikonens performativitet i SVenska kyrkan och i dess traditionella kontext

Sammanfattning: Since the 1980s, the usage and presence of icons in the Swedish Lutheran church has become increasingly common. The aim of this study is to examine the themes and symbols in icons displayed in selected Swedish Lutheran churches, and to explore the performative qualities of icons in their original context, as well as in Swedish church buildings. The study consists of icons found in two cathedrals and two churches. Since the traditions differ greatly both in their theology and expressions, the performative aspects of icons differ as well. In the Orthodox church, icons have an essential role in worship, and the veneration of the persons depicted are expressed through kisses, prostrations and touch. The performative qualities of icons in the Orthodox context is expressed through their significance for the liturgical rituals, the interaction between the believers and the icons and the view of their ‘embodiment’ of the depicted saints.  In the Swedish church, icons are commonly found in devotion spaces and chapels, separated from the nave. Here, the visitor can engage in prayer and contemplation quietly, without being distracted by observers. The emphasis lies on the believes of the individual and on personal experience. The icon in this context first and foremost becomes a reminder of God, a beautiful artifact and an aesthetic symbolic expression. The common performative aspect in both contexts is the experience of the icon as a mediator between the visible world and a reality beyond the visible.