Wonderful products of Nevyansk (Ural) masters made of copper decorated the Nicholas-Zaretsky Church and the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Tula. Their construction was commissioned and funded by Akinfiy Demidov, the eldest son of Nikita Demidov — the founder of the dynasty. The church chandeliers were also brought from the Urals. In the early 1730s, copper production in the Urals appeared due to favorable conditions in the region and developed at factories. The production was set up in special factories and was part of a complex of factory operations.
A panikadilo (from the Greek πολυκάνδηλον — “many lights”) — is a church chandelier that holds at least 12 lamps. For centuries, churches were illuminated by such chandeliers, which housed candles and oil lamps. Nowadays, the vast majority of churches are illuminated by electrical lamps. Nevertheless, the panikadilo retained its traditional form of a solemn cone-shaped multi-tier chandelier.
Unlike the secular chandelier, the panikadilo is decorated with images of the cross. The panikadilo came to Russia from Greece together with the khoros — a chandelier in the shape of a large hoop for holding lamps. A khoros can serve as a substitute for the traditional panikadilo or be its frame. Khoros chandeliers often feature icons, and are sometimes decorated with cast images of angels, crosses, etc. Some Orthodox churches in Greece and other countries have a remarkable custom to rotate the khoros during a sermon. This, for example, is practiced on Mount Athos. This likely symbolizes the movement of the sun, moon and the stars in the sky, as well as the movement of angelic forces in the Kingdom of God. According to the Church Statute, during Sunday and festive services, all lamps must be lit, including the panikadilo. This is supposed to recreate the image of God’s light that will shine upon Orthodox Christians in the Kingdom of God. The many lights of the panikadilo represent the Heavenly Church as a constellation and a community of people sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit, burning with the fire of love for God.
The panikadilo chandelier is most commonly cast in brass or bronze. In the olden days some were made of cast iron, and nowadays this aesthetic is undergoing a revival.
