Monika Radžiūnaitė's work, "Don't be afraid / Nolite timere," is part of her "Hyperlink" series.

Nolite timere (Don't be afraid), for before you stands the flaming being, the Seraphim, as described in the Revelation to John, who saw before the throne a shining sea of glass, like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around it, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle, each having six wings, full of eyes all around and within, crying out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Saint Denis, converted by Saint Paul, according to hagiography, was beheaded and then, carrying his own head in his hands, travelled to his burial place, even preaching along the way. Upon reaching his resting place, he passed into the afterlife, to the throne of God, where he was met by a ray of light that illuminated the miraculous bishop and martyr.

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite was an angelologist who wrote the treatise De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy). In it, these intermediaries between God and humanity are organised hierarchically into nine choirs and three triads. The first and highest triad consists of Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim – angels surrounding the throne of God. They are first mentioned in the Book of Isaiah and are described as having six wings: two covering their face, two covering their feet, and two for flying.

In both etymological and iconographical terms, Seraphim are identified with fire, the colour red, and eternal, tireless devotion to God. Saint Bernard, following this classification, vividly frames the symbolism of the Seraphim, identifying their closeness to God through their names – thus, Cherubim merely absorb divine truth, while Seraphim experience it as an ardent flame. Later, Saint Thomas Aquinas also compared Seraphim with Cherubim, seemingly elevating knowledge above love, yet paradoxically proving the superiority of the Seraphim in the face of faith through this very opposition."

Text by Linas Bliškevičius