Icons

The Holy Trinity is our fount and source of being, life, and salvation. In the Orthodox Church, worship begins and ends with the words, "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." From Holy Scripture’s account of...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God...

After the miraculous conception of Saint John the Baptist by Saint Elizabeth and the Annunciation to the Theotokos of the conception of the Lord Jesus, the two cousins met at Elizabeth's home. When the Theotokos entered Elizabeth's presence, John leapt...

Saint Dymphna lived in the seventh century. She was born in Oriel in northeastern Ireland to Damon, a pagan king; her mother was a Christian. When she was 14 years old, Dymphna took a vow of chastity. Her mother died soon afterwards. After the death of...

Saint Anna was the wife of Saint Joachim. In her old age, Anna became the mother of the Virgin Mary Theotokos, and the grandmother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Her feast is celebrated on September 9, and she is known as a powerful intercessor for...

This stunning fresco depicts the arrival of the Gospel to the natives of Alaska.  Saints Herman, Juvenaly, and Innocent were the first saints of the Orthodox Church to shine forth in the wilderness of Alaska. With a missionary spirit desiring to...

Of all the Eastern Christian icons, the "Theotokos of Vladimir" (from the Greek word Theotokos meaning "God bearer") is one of the most beloved and well known not only among Eastern Orthodox Christians, but also in the West. Even St. Paul’s...

On the 40th day after His Resurrection, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven in His resurrected body. As the eleven Apostles stood on the Mount of Olives at Bethany, they watched Him disappear from view. An angel declared that He would return in the...

This icon is used in the Russian tradition for the feast of Pentecost, and in many churches it appears above the Holy Doors. It bears two meanings.  On its surface, this icon depicts a scene from the Bible. The image of three angels grouped around...

John the Evangelist did not only author a Gospel, but was a much-beloved Apostle and minister of Jesus. He and his brother James were both fishermen and both called by Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname Boanerges,...

Saint Christopher of Lycia was a third-century martyr. Originally named Reprobus, the Roman authorities became aware of him when he converted a group of soldiers to Christ. He was baptized with the name Christopher, which means "Christ-bearer." This is...

After the Lord's Ascension into heaven, the Apostles spent their days in prayer, preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit. On the morning of the 50th day of His Resurrection, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit upon them as He had promised. There was the...

Saint Athanasius was born to a Christian family in Alexandria in 295. He was ordained the bishop of Alexandria before he reached his thirtieth birthday, and became a leader of the Church even before that.  At the time that Athanasius was...

Saint Monica was born about the year 330. She had a gentle disposition and always kept guard of her tongue, and by this she avoided the wrath of her short-tempered pagan husband. Monica desired to have her three children baptized, but her husband would...

This icon is used in the Russian tradition for the feast of Pentecost, and in many churches it appears above the Holy Doors. It bears two meanings.  On its surface, this icon depicts a scene from the Bible. The image of three angels grouped around...

This unique icon was commissioned for Saint Nicholas Cathedral, and is the only such icon in the world. It contains more than 30 well-known saints that are from or have a special connection to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East. From...

Saint Christopher was an early martyr, suffering for Christ about the year 251. His feast is celebrated on May 9 in the Orthodox Church, and he endures as one of the most well-known and venerated saints throughout the world. The depiction of a...

Emperor Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles, legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. He once saw a vision of the Cross in the sky and heard a voice say, "In this sign conquer." His mother, Helen, served as his Empress. She was devoted to...

This modern icon of the Ascension of Christ depicts the glorious ascent of Christ attended by angels and witnessed by the Apostles and the Theotokos. This Great Feast is commemorated 40 days after Pascha and 10 days before Pentecost, the outpouring of...

Saint Helen, the Equal-to-the-Apostles, was the mother of Saint Constantine. As the mother of the Roman Emperor, she served as his Empress. She was devoted to the Holy Land, and discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. This event is...

This icon, known as the Hospitality of Abraham, depicts the Old Testament scene when Abraham and Sarah were visited by three angelic visitors who announced the birth of their son, Isaac. This scene is traditionally understood to be a prefigurement...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God...

The icon known as the Hospitality of Abraham depicts the Old Testament scene when Abraham was visited by three angelic visitors, who announced the birth of a son, Isaac, by his wife Sarah. This scene is traditionally considered a prefiguring...

Saint Brendan was born in the year 484 in County Kerry, Ireland. He was educated in the monastery school at Tuam. When he was 26, he was ordained a priest and undertook several missionary journeys throughout the Scottish Isles and Britain. An...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God...

Emperor Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles, legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. He once saw a vision of the Cross in the sky and heard a voice say, "In this sign conquer." His feast is celebrated on May 21, together with his mother...

The Lord's conversation and forgiveness of the Samaritan Woman at the well, as described in John 4:5-42, is celebrated on the fourth Sunday after Pascha (Easter) in the Orthodox Church.

This icon is used in the Russian tradition for the feast of Pentecost, and in many churches it appears above the Holy Doors. It bears two meanings.  On its surface, this icon depicts a scene from the Bible. The image of three angels grouped...

This icon is used in the Russian tradition for the feast of Pentecost, and in many churches it appears above the Holy Doors. It bears two meanings.  On its surface, this icon depicts a scene from the Bible. The image of three angels grouped...

Saint Emilia (also known as Emmelia, Amelia, or Emily) was born in the fourth century. She was the daughter of an unknown martyr and wife of Saint Basil the Elder, who was a lawyer in Caesarea. Saints Basil and Emilia bore ten children, five of which...

Evgeny (Yevgeny or Eugene) Rodionov was born in western Russia in 1977. He was conscripted into the Russian army in 1995 and deployed to Chechnya in the midst of the First Chechen War. While guarding a checkpoint, Evgeny and two other soldiers were...

John the Evangelist did not only author a Gospel, but was a much-beloved Apostle and minister of Jesus. He and his brother James were both fishermen and both called by Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname Boanerges,...

Saints Cyril and Methodius were 9th-century Greek brothers born in Thessalonica in Macedonia, in the Byzantine Empire. They dedicated their lives to the evangelism of the Russian peoples, and they are known as the Apostles to the Slavs. Saint Cyril is...

This icon, which was painted by the master iconographer Michael Damaskinos in the 16th century, depicts the Fathers of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where the Nicene Creed was written. Emperor St. Constantine the Great sits in the center,...

St. John the Evangelist did not only author a Gospel, but was a much beloved Apostle and minister of Jesus. He and his brother James were both fishermen and both called to Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname "Boanerges,"...

While Elijah and Elisha are both notable for their prophetic deeds, Isaiah (or Isaias), who appears in the Bible shortly after Elisha’s death, is a more traditional prophet of words. Isaiah advised Hezekiah, a God-fearing king, passing on...

Saint Dunstan was born in the southwest of England around the year 909. He was educated by Irish monks, and around the age of 25 he was ordained a priest. He lived as a hermit for nine years, until King Edmund appointed him the abbot of Glastonbury...

Saint Luke was born in the Crimea in 1877. Named Valentine at birth, he initially studied fine arts, but with a growing desire to help suffering people, he chose to become a physician instead, studying ophthalmology (the treatment of eyes) in...