Initial A: Young Christ Blessing

Christ appears in this initial as a youthful figure with round, rosy cheeks. He holds a book in his left hand and blesses with his right. The chant that follows is sung on the feast of the Epiphany--the day the three Magi visited the newborn Jesus. Depictions of Christ as an adolescent are relatively rare, and Epiphany chants are more often illustrated with scenes of the Adoration of the Magi. Here Christ appears in the guise of a young preacher who has already embraced the responsibilities of his adult life.