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the angel on one door and
the Mother of God on the
other, it is through the
opening of these doors that
the Body and Blood of
Christ are brought forth to
the people – through the
Annunciation, Christ be-
comes present to His peo-
ple then and now.
It is this idea which forms
the theological foundation
for this commission. Aidan
Hart says of these icons:
“The icons stand at either
side of the altar to show
that the Annunciation hap-
pens not only historically
but also in our daily lives,
and especially in the Holy
Liturgy. We are involved in
this conversation between
Mary and the angel. They
speak across real liturgical
space. God is constantly
asking us to conceive
Christ in our hearts and
lives. And in every Holy
Communion service, at the epiclesis, we beseech the Father “to send down the
Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these Thy gifts” to make them Holy. That is, we
ask God to make the gifts, and us who receive them, the Body and Blood of
Christ on earth.”
The icons frame the Altar, and as anyone familiar with images of the
Annunciation will know, it is in the centre of the scene that one normally sees
the Holy Spirit descending to bring about the Incarnation. A series of connec-
tions are set up between the Annunciation, the Incarnation and the Eucharist

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