Icons

This 19th century Russian “Academic” icon depicts the Archangel Gabriel. In this icon, Gabriel wears white, the color of purity, and blue, the color of humanity and especially the Virgin Mary. He holds a bouquet of lilies, which are...

Aaron was the brother of Moses. While God assigned the task of Israelite leadership directly to Moses, Aaron became an important leader in his own right.  At his first encounter with God, Moses expressed concern that he was not well-spoken enough...

Job was a descendent of Abraham, and righteous in every way. For this, he was richly blessed with wealth and power. God saw fit to test Job. All at once, he lost his children and his wealth. His body was afflicted with painful sores. Job's few...

Saint Nicholas II reigned as the last Tsar (Emperor) of Russia from 1894 to 1917. His rule saw the liberalization and eventual fall of the Russian Empire in the Bolshevik Revolution, which ushered in the Soviet communism which was incredibly...

The Apostle Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel/Nathanael) was from Cana of Galilee, but the Gospels tell us little else about his early life. After Pentecost, he preached throughout Asia and India, and was martyred brutally. His feast is celebrated...

Barbara, born in the third century in Syria, was so beautiful that her pagan father placed her in an isolated tower to keep her innocent of any influence except his own until she could be married. Like St. Christina, Barbara also came to realize...

This famous 13th century icon depicts the life and martyrdom of Saint George. George was a soldier of noble birth from Cappadocia, and was put to death under Emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia on 23 April 303. The center icon depicts the most famous...

Saint Mark of Ephesus entered the monastic life as a young man, and became a devoted student of the hesychast teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas. He became a deacon, and later a priest, and was appointed Metropolitan of Ephesus. He attended the Council...

The Seven Sleepers were a group of young soldiers who confessed their faith in Christ before the Emperor Decius. They were allowed to go free, and they fled to the caves to hide. As they prayed in preparation for martyrdom, they were discovered by...

Saint Cassiani was a nun and eminent poet who lived in the 9th century. She established a convent in Constantinople, and excelled as a theologian and musician, composing hymns for her nuns.  Dozens of her hymns endure in the liturgical life of the...

Saint Katherine (also spelled Catherine) is celebrated as a Great Martyr of the Orthodox Church. She suffered greatly for her faith in Christ in the year 305 at the hands of Maximinus of Alexandria. She was killed for refusing his marriage intentions,...

This famous image is one of Russia's finest and most ancient treasures. Dating to the 12th century, it survived the Mongol invasion and first appeared in Moscow in the 16th century. Based on the style, scholars believe it may have been painted in...

Saint Hilda was born in 614 in the north of modern England. She was a relative of King Edwin of Northumbria, who became a Christian about 627. At the age of 33, Hilda became a nun under the guidance of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne. She learned the...

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...

Saint Pelagia was an actress, dancer, and harlot who lived in Antioch of Palestine in the 4th or 5th century. One day, while Saint Nonnus the Bishop of Edessa was preaching, Pelagia passed by and Nonnus stared at her beauty, while the rest turned...

The holy, glorious Apostle Thomas is celebrated on October 6, and his "excellent unbelief, which led the hearts of the faithful to knowledge" is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on the Sunday after Pascha.

Saint John (surnamed Mansur, later called Chrysorroas, "the Golden Stream" for his writing) was born in Damascus, Syria, late in the 7th century. (This was soon after the Umayyad dynasty took control of the region from the Eastern Roman Empire.) His...

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,...

St. James Alphaeus, is also known as “St. James the Less,” meaning the smaller or younger, to distinguish him from the second apostle James, the brother of John. Unlike the brother of John, St. James Alphaeus is not often mentioned in the...

Saint Cyril was born in Alexandria in the year 376. He was instructed in the faith by his uncle Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria. Cyril succeeded to the patriarchal throne himself in 412. When Nestorius began teaching his heresy, Cyril was a...

St. Basil was born in Caesarea in 329, to a holy family full of saints. He went to complete his education in Athens, where he first met his lifelong friend St. Gregory the Theologian. Later, after he had spent some time in solitude, Basil became a...

The holy Virgin Martyr Paraskevi (or Paraskeva) was born in Rome in the 2nd century to Christian parents. From her earliest years she was devout, spending much of her time in prayer and reading the Scriptures. After her parents' death, she dedicated...

This icon is from the very Cave of the Apocalypse itself, on the island of Patmos, Greece, where the book of Revelation was written. It depicts the following passage:  I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation...

The Three Holy Youths Ananias, Misael, and Azarias were among the Jews who were taken to Babylon in the sixth century BC. King Nebuchadnezzar took them into his royal household where they served, along with the Prophet Daniel. They were given Persian...

This 19th century Byzantine icon of the Apostle John the Theologian uniquely depicts him contemplating the stories of Christ in silence. Whether writing or reading his own Gospel account, his face reflects the depth of love that he shared with the Lord...

This historic Greek icon depicts the beloved Apostle John the Theologian. Exiled to the Mediterranean island of Patmos in his old age, he is shown receiving the revelation of the apocalypse (unfolding) and dictating to his scribe, St. Prochorus. This...

Saint John Chrysostom (which means "Golden-Mouthed," after his eloquent speaking abilities) is one of the greatest preachers and theologians in Church history. His sermons and commentary on the scriptures are invaluable, and his bold preaching is held...

Saint Joseph lived in Syria in the 19th century. He was a priest who worked as a translator and editor of the Church Fathers' writings, desiring to bring their teachings to the faithful. In 1860, a wave of anti-Christian Druze riots swept through...

Barachiel in the Hebrew language means Blessing of God. One of the eight traditional archangels, he is depicted holding roses. He is considered to be a leader of the Guardian Angels, and a patron of married couples and families. This icon is...

Saint Gregory was born in 329 in Cappadocia. After his studies, he suffered in a shipwreck and feared for his soul, as he was unbaptized. God spared him, and arriving in Athens, he joined his friend Basil the Great. They lived as monastic brothers in...

Saint Onuphrius lived in the fourth century. He was a hermit in the deserts of Egypt, living alone. He had a wild appearance, covered in hair and naked except for a small garment made of leaves. Saint Paphnuitus was mystically sent to bury Onuphrius,...

Saints Peter and Paul are celebrated together as the Holy and Glorious Leaders of the Apostles. Saint Peter was a zealous follower of Christ, and was the first to confess His Divinity. While the Apostle denied Christ after His arrest, the Lord forgave...

This beautiful example of Western iconography is a manuscript illumination from the Book of Kells, a Celtic Gospel book dating to the early 9th century. The Evangelists are represented by their symbolic representations: an angel for Matthew, a lion for...

This fine icon of the holy Ancestor of God Saint Joachim is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It depicts the father of the Virgin Mary and grandfather of Jesus Christ with his hand raised in a gesture of prayer. This icon can be paired...

Saint Tikhon was the first Patriarch of Moscow after the patriarchate was restored in 1917. But before this, he served as Bishop of the Aleuts and North America, and became an American citizen. He worked tirelessly to establish new churches in America,...

This icon depicts St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra and renowned for his charity and life of faithfulness to the Church. While he is more well known today for being the precursor to St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) stories, he has long been renowned for caring...

In this 16th century Cretan icon, the Theotokos is praised by Old Testament figures, from the Patriarch Jacob (holding the ladder), to Moses, the Prophets, and finally John the Forerunner, the last of the Old Testament prophets. The iconographer...

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 afar,...

The Holy Patriarch Abraham is commemorated on Sunday of the Forefathers (2nd Sunday Before Christmas) and October 9.

Saint Aidan was a 7th century Irish missionary to Northumbria in northern England. Centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, its impacts were beginning to fade, and paganism was making a comeback in the British isles. With the support of...