The symbolism of the censer in Byzantine representations of the Dormition of the Virgin

In certain twelfth-and thirteenth-century Byzantine representations of the Dormition of the Virgin one of the officiating hierarchs is shown holding up to his face a censer and either pointing at it or blowing on the incense. This paper suggests that this unusual iconographical feature should be interpreted in the light of Byzantine theological beliefs regarding the Dormition, as expressed through the symbol of the censer in homilies and hymns.