Aeres, Introduction

The aer is the veil with which the celebrant covers the sacred elements during the Eucharist. They can be divided into small aeres – covers for the chalice or the paten – and the large aer, which covers both sacred vessels. At the Great Entrance, the priest removes the large aer from the sacred vessels and puts it on the shoulder of the deacon. The subjects represented on aeres are the administering of the Holy Communion with the Holy Bread (Metadosis) and the Holy Wine (Metalepsis), the Lamb of God (Amnos), and the Breaking of the Bread (Melismos). The theme depicted on this aer is the moment just before Communion.