Icons

One of the most popular and beloved Christian Orthodox Icons from the most ancient times is the Orthodox icon of the Good Shepherd. As you look at Christ beautifully holding a sheep on his shoulder you are instantly taken to the Gospel of St. John,...

This stunning icon depicts the Six Days of Creation in one single incredible icon. The starry firmament above contains the sun, moon, and stars. The border of the sky is marked by a rainbow, which in iconography symbolizes God's divine power and...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. Capturing the emotion and glory from the famed story from the Gospels, it demonstrates Christ’s power and care for his disciples as they lie storm-tossed in the...

One of the most popular and beloved Christian Orthodox Icons from the most ancient times is the Orthodox icon of the Good Shepherd. As you look at Christ beautifully holding a sheep on his shoulder you are instantly taken to the Gospel of St. John,...

In one of the evening services of the Orthodox Church known as Compline, we speak these words to Mary, the Theotokos and Mother of God, “Do not turn from me, an unclean sinner...but have compassion on me, O Theotokos, and accept the prayer of a...

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...

This miracle of Christ is found in the three synoptic gospels. While He slept on the boat, a storm arose and threatened to capsize the boat. The disciples woke Him in fear, and the Lord rebuked the wind. The storm died down, and He questioned the...

  This unique historic icon depicts the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove, as He appeared at the Baptism of Christ. Painted by an anonymous 17th century iconographer, it a unique representation of the Gospels' account of descent of the Holy Spirit...

This icon of the Deësis type features our Lord Jesus in the middle, enthroned in heaven as King and God. Nearest to Him and offering prayers of supplication in behalf of the faithful are His Mother, the Theotokos, and Saint John the Baptist...

The ancient "IC XC NIKA" cross is very common in Eastern Christianity. An abbreviation that means "Jesus Christ conquers", the pattern is stamped on the holy bread used for the Eucharist, and is frequently used in every kind of decoration. Let this...

This 15th century Greek icon depicts the Nativity of Christ, with several related scenes. The Virgin Mary is depicted resting beside her newborn Son. The cave imagery recalls icons of the Resurrection, reminding the viewer that our salvation was...

This scene depicts Christ and the Theotokos at the Wedding at Cana of Galilee. This was our Lord's first miracle, changing the water into wine. As the Orthodox marriage service also says, by His presence at this wedding, Christ blessed marriage as...

This glorious icon of the Resurrection and Harrowing of Hades features our Lord emerging triumphant from the depths of Hades, trampling down the gates, locks and chains that forever kept humans trapped after death. He raises from their tombs Adam and...

This instructional icon depicts the Second Coming and the Last Judgment. At the top Christ is seen coming in glory, flanked by the armies of the heavenly host, his Mother, and the Prophet John. In the next row are the Twelve Apostles, sitting as judges...

This beautiful mosaic is from the Church of the Nativity in Jerusalem.

On the third day after His death, the Sunday of Pascha (Easter), our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ raised Himself from the dead. This icon celebrates the universe-transforming event known as the Harrowing of Hades, the doctrine laid down in the...

This 12th century icon, also known as the Holy Face or Mandylion, portrays the face of Christ on a piece of cloth, carried by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. According to Christian legend, King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, asking him to come...

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...

This miracle is recorded by all four of the Evangelists in their Gospels. In the wilderness near Bethsaida, the Lord had compassion on the crowds and miraculously multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5000 men, with the women and children besides...

The Harrowing of Hades is the icon most often used to represent the Resurrection of Christ: the Feast of Feasts, Pascha (Easter). In this scene, Christ is seen coming out of the dark pit of Hades, bringing with Him all of the righteous Old Testament...

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.

The Harrowing of Hades is the icon most often used to represent the Resurrection of Christ: the Feast of Feasts, Pascha (Easter). In this scene, Christ is seen coming out of the dark pit of Hades, bringing with Him all of the righteous Old Testament...

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...

Commemorated on the 4th Sunday before Lent, the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee marks the beginning of the pre-Lent period in the Orthodox Church. In this parable, the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray with humility, and not to exalt...

This 13th century fresco, from the Mileševa Monastery in Serbia, shows the angel announcing the Resurrection to the myrrh-bearing women. The tomb is shown empty, with only Christ's burial clothes remaining. The icon demonstrates a transition...

This stunning icon of the Crucifixion features our Lord hanging on the Cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Standing nearby are His Mother, the Theotokos, and the other women, as well as Saint John. The Cross is planted in "the place of the Skull." This...

This historic Byzantine icon of Christ Calling Peter and Andrew depicts the scene as recorded in the Gospels (Matthew 4, Mark 1, John 1). This relatively simple, unadorned icon movingly depicts Christ's call to Andrew and Peter to leave their nets and...

Saint Menas the Wonderworker is one of the best-known Egyptian saints throughout the world. He was a soldier in the Roman army, and died a martyr about the year 309 when he refused to renounce his faith in Christ. His feast is celebrated on November 11...

Like St. Mark,  St. Luke was not one of the Twelve Apostles, but was one of the the four Evangelists. He was a Gentile, not a Jew, born in Antioch. He was a physician by profession. Luke became a disciple of St. Paul and traveled with Paul and...

While not himself one of the Twelve Apostles, the Evangelist St. Mark is said to have been present at Jesus’ arrest. In the Gospel of Mark, the “young man” who ran away from the scene, and apparently watched the Crucifixion from...

The Apostle and Evangelist Luke was not one of the Lord’s twelve original disciples. A Gentile physician from Antioch, he is counted among the Seventy Apostles. He was a follower of Saint Paul, and traveled with him and Saint Peter throughout the...

This beautiful is from the Monastery of St. Nicholas, one of the clifftop monasteries in Meteora, Greece. It depicts the scene from Genesis 2:19-20, where Adam the first-formed man named the animals which God had created. "Out of the ground...

This ancient icon is a stunning reproduction of one of the earliest depictions of Jesus Christ. Found in the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus and painted in the 3rd century during the later persecutions of the church, the anonymous iconographer portrays...

This matching set of icons is found on the back side of the iconostasis at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, overlooking the holy altar. The holy faces of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos are surrounded by floral greenery. The unique horizontal...

"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ And taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee he began to grow sorrowful and distressed. Then Jesus said to...

This depiction of the Throne of God is often found in icons of the Last Judgment, but can also be seen by itself in a simplified form, as in this icon. The blue circle surrounding the Throne is known as a Mandorla. This represents transcendence and the...

This incredible icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai is a depiction of the Theotokos as the "flower of Jesse's Tree". The Prophets are seen among the branches growing from Jesse, with the Theotokos at their center, as the Mother of the...

This 17th century icon from Crete features Christ Pantocrator (Almighty) in the center, with the Theotokos Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on either side. These holiest of saints are always nearest to our Lord Jesus, praying for the peace and...

The Prophet Jonah (or Jonas) lived in the 8th century before Christ. He prophesied to the Israelites and the Ninevites, calling all to repentance. He also foretold of the coming Messiah. Jonah was eaten by a sea creature and spent three days in...

The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew (also named Levi) was the brother of James Alphaeus. He was a tax collector until he was called by Christ. He was the first to write a Gospel, and he wrote in Hebrew. The theology of his Gospel is aimed at the Jews,...