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[ 東京復活大聖堂(ニコライ堂) ]
原点はイエス・キリストと弟子たちの生活にある。時代に流されることなく、基本を守り抜く。そうして祈りは強く、深くなっていく。
キリスト教にはさまざまな宗派がある。 なかでも「キリスト教三大教派」といわれているのがローマ・カトリック教会とプロテスタント教会、そして正教会。 ローマ・カトリック教会とプロテスタント教会は西ヨーロッパを中心に伝播し、 正教会は中近東からギリシャ、バルカン半島といった東ヨーロッパ地域に定着した。そんな正教会の聖堂のひとつが、 神田駿河台にある「東京復活大聖堂」。
大教主ニコライによって1884年から7年の歳月をかけて建てられた聖堂は、 関東大震災で被災した後、 およそ6年をかけて復興したという。この日本有数のビザンチン建築は威厳があり静謐。 正教会特有の八端十字架が掲げられた空間にはイコンが並び、 厳かで、 しかし心地いい空気に包まれている。
この聖堂で信者たちは “主、イイスス・ハリストス、神の子よ、我を憐れみ給え” と言葉にし、祈るといわれている。 「その祈りの言葉は、決まりではありません。 ただ、神の名前を繰り返しながら、神と一体になるという考えはあります」。 そう語るのは日本ハリストス正教会教団の長司祭であるミハイル対中秀行さん。 「礼拝は、基本的にはキリストが復活した日曜日にあります。しかし祈りは聖堂だけでなく、家でも、どこででも行ってかまいません」。
正教会では一年が、暦に従って進んでいく。 もちろん、 その暦はキリストが復活した日が中心になっている。 「私たち正教会は発展や進化をすることなく、キリスト教本来の姿を忠実に守っています。 原点にあるのはキリストと弟子たちの生活です」。 正教会では教義を思想としてではなく、生き方を通して伝授していくと対中さんはいいます。そうして信者たちは人間本来の姿に戻っていく。 「私たちは祈ることで神に近づきます。祈るかどうかは自分で決めることができます。だからこそ、祈りに意志が生まれ、神への愛が深まっていくのです」。
正教会では祈ることで神と一体になり、そして人間となることができる。
To regain our true nature, we pray and become one with God.
The origin lies in the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples:
staying true to the basics amid changing times,
strengthening and deepening prayer.
Christianity has various denominations. The three major branches are the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, and the Orthodox Church. The first two spread mainly in Western Europe, while the latter established itself in Eastern Europe, from the Middle East to Greece and the Balkan Peninsula. One Orthodox cathedral is the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kanda Surugadai, Tokyo.
Built over seven years starting in 1884 by Archbishop Nikolai, it was damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake and took about six years to restore. One of Japan's rare Byzantine structures, it is majestic and serene, adorned with Orthodox eight-pointed crosses and icons, creating a solemn yet comforting atmosphere.
In this cathedral, believers pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." "The words of prayer are not fixed. However, the idea is to become one with God by repeatedly invoking His name," says protopriest Michael Hideyuki Tainaka of the Orthodox Church in Japan. "Worship is usually on Sundays, the day of Christ's resurrection, but prayer can be conducted not only in the cathedral but also at home or anywhere else."
In the Orthodox Church, the year follows the liturgical calendar centered on Christ's resurrection. "The Orthodox Church faithfully follows the original form of Christianity without changes or evolution. The starting point is the life of Christ and His disciples." Tainaka explains that the Orthodox Church teaches its doctrines not as an ideology but as a way of life, helping believers restore their original human nature. "Prayer brings us closer to God. Choosing to pray strengthens our will and deepens our love for God."
In the Orthodox Church, prayer unites one with God, making one truly human.
To regain our true nature, we pray and become one with God.
The origin lies in the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples:
staying true to the basics amid changing times,
strengthening and deepening prayer.
Christianity has various denominations. The three major branches are the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, and the Orthodox Church. The first two spread mainly in Western Europe, while the latter established itself in Eastern Europe, from the Middle East to Greece and the Balkan Peninsula. One Orthodox cathedral is the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kanda Surugadai, Tokyo.
Built over seven years starting in 1884 by Archbishop Nikolai, it was damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake and took about six years to restore. One of Japan's rare Byzantine structures, it is majestic and serene, adorned with Orthodox eight-pointed crosses and icons, creating a solemn yet comforting atmosphere.
In this cathedral, believers pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." "The words of prayer are not fixed. However, the idea is to become one with God by repeatedly invoking His name," says protopriest Michael Hideyuki Tainaka of the Orthodox Church in Japan. "Worship is usually on Sundays, the day of Christ's resurrection, but prayer can be conducted not only in the cathedral but also at home or anywhere else."
In the Orthodox Church, the year follows the liturgical calendar centered on Christ's resurrection. "The Orthodox Church faithfully follows the original form of Christianity without changes or evolution. The starting point is the life of Christ and His disciples." Tainaka explains that the Orthodox Church teaches its doctrines not as an ideology but as a way of life, helping believers restore their original human nature. "Prayer brings us closer to God. Choosing to pray strengthens our will and deepens our love for God."
In the Orthodox Church, prayer unites one with God, making one truly human.
東京復活大聖堂(ニコライ堂)
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〒101-0062 東京都千代田区神田駿河台4-1-3
tel.03-3295-6879