Icon as text: semantics of corpority

The main problem that this article addresses is the consideration of the medieval Christian icon as a theological text. The goal in considering this problem was to understand the theological meanings of physicality as an element of the Christian iconographic canon. Physicality within the framework of the article is understood as the nature of the image of the human figure in terms of proportions, position in space, degree of mobility and exposure of flesh. The main result of the study was the symbolic understanding of physicality in the icon. At the same time, the following symbols were highlighted: nudity as a sign of holiness, purity and victory of the spirit over the flesh, the flatness of the image as a sign of spirituality, the contrast of the image of the face and body as the personification of the principle of duality, pose (position of the body in space) as a visible embodiment of the state of the soul and gestures, carrying information that complements and reveals the meaning of the icon. Thus, we have proven the right to consider the icon a spiritual text.