Icons

This historic Russian icon depicts the meeting of St. Thomas the Apostle and the Risen Christ a week after the Resurrection. According to the Gospel account, Thomas said that he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection until he touches his...

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 15th century icon portrays the nativity in the flesh of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Visible in the icon, from the top, are the Star of Bethlehem (portrayed as the Holy Spirit), the angels, Magi, and a shepherd, Saint Joseph being tempted by...

Elijah (or in Greek, Elias) lived under the rule of Ahab, “who did evil before the Lord, more than all who were before him” (3 Kgd. 16:38). Through Elijah, God gave the world a voice of justice in an unjust time. But the miracles and signs...

Saint Columba was a 6th century Irish missionary who evangelized in Scotland. One of the earliest missionaries to the Scottish tribes, he founded several monasteries and churches. Also a renowned writer, he composed hymns and transcribed hundreds of...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra...

This beautiful mosaic icon of the Crucifixion of Christ captures the humility and glory of the culmination of Holy Friday.  In this mosaic, the Lord is crucified in the presence of the Theotokos (Blessed Virgin Mary) and St. John the beloved...

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 Abigail (also known as Gobnait or Gobnata) was born in Ireland around the beginning of the sixth century. After seeing a vision of white deer, she was granted land to build a women's monastery at Ballyvourney. As abbess, she was known for gifts...

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...

This glorious icon of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner is from the iconostasis at Saint Nicholas Anthiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was painted by Fr. Theodore Koufos of blessed memory.  The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner,...

Originally called Prokhor, St. Seraphim was born to middle-class parents in Russia in 1754. He became very ill as a young child, but was healed by the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon through his own faith and the faith of his mother. After this...

Saint Tryphon (or Trypho) was from Lampsacus (modern Lapseki). He tended geese and was filled with the Holy Spirit, able to work powerful miracles of healing and exorcism. He became a bold preacher of Christ during the reign of Emperor Decius, about...

This Russian icon depicts the scene at the Lord’s crucifixion on Holy Friday. The two thieves are shown crucified with him. Christ’s most faithful disciples are with him, as the Gospel tells: his Mother, John, Martha, and Mary. Saint Longinus the...

In this beautiful detail from a massive 17th century fresco at Slivnichki Monastery in Macedonia, the Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove, perched on a royal throne. He holds the Holy Gospel, and is surrounded by the instruments of the passion: the...

This 17th century icon features the Prophet Elias (Elijah, Iliya) and the Patriarch Enoch (Enokh). What these Old Testament men have in common is that they never died. According to Genesis, Enoch walked with God for 365 years "and he was no more;"...

Saint Katherine (also spelled Catherine) was a Great Martyr who suffered in the year 305 at the hands of Maximinus of Alexandria. She is commemorated in the Slavic churches on November 24, the date of her martyrdom. In the Byzantine churches, she is...

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...

This stunning Hagia Sophia mosaic from the church's apse overshadowed the altar when it was a church. Completed in the 9th century, the deep blue of the Theotokos' robe contrasts beautifully with the gold of Christ's robe and the background. The Hagia...

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...

This historic Greek icon depicts the beloved Apostle John the Theologian exiled on the island of Patmos. Receiving the vision of the Apocalypse and attended by an angel, he dictates his Revelation to his scribe, Saint Prochorus.  St. John is...

This historic icon of the Archangel Michael is depicted in vivid colors and stunning details. Following a traditional Balkan style, Holy Michael is depicted bearing a sword in his right hand and an orb in his left. The orb is marked with the Greek...

This 19th century icon of Christ Pantocrator (the Almighty) is painted in the traditional Russian style. The Slavonic text reads Gospod Vsederzhitel: "Lord Almighty" or Pantocrator. The genre of Pantocrator icons of Christ is ancient and common...

This is a modern recreation of the historic icon known as "the Black Madonna." The famous original has a deep connection to Poland, which became known in the 15th century, but is likely far older. The feast of the holy icon is celebrated on March 6.

Saint Clement was converted to Christ through the Apostle Peter. He served as the third Bishop of Rome after the death of the Apostles, from about AD 91 to 99. His feast is celebrated on November 23 in the West, November 24 by the Greeks, and November...

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...

In this contemporary Russian icon we have the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, who were the ones chosen by Christ to live closest to Him during His ministry and to be the foremost evangelists of the nations. The Twelve all have their own feast days, but...

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...

The Church has received the tradition of the conception of the Mother of God from the ancient Fathers of the Church. The Virgin Mary was born to her parents about 16 or 17 years before the birth of Christ. Her father Joachim was descended from the...

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 exquisite set of two Russian Old Believer style icons portrays the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) and Jesus Christ, the glorified Son of God. The subtle brown background sets off each icon’s vivid colors and attentive detail. The Greek and Slavonic...

Christ is seen among the Jewish scholars, teaching them. The Theotokos and Saint Joseph are seen on the left, having searched for the young Jesus after He disappeared from their traveling party. This event is commemorated on Mid-Pentecost, twenty-five...

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 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...

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,...

The equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, who legalized and defended Christianity in the Roman Empire, and his mother Helen, who discovered the precious Cross of the Lord, are celebrated together on May 21.

In the Lord's parable of the Ten Virgins, he speaks of five foolish virgins and five wise, who are awaiting the bridegroom to enter his wedding feast. The wise brought enough oil for their lamps to keep watch all night, while the foolish had to go into...

Inspired by one of the hymns of the Great Compline service, this icon depicts the Mother of God making intercession before her Son on behalf of those who need help, in particular: the cold and naked, the elderly and crippled, those who are traveling,...

The feast of All Saints is commemorated on the Sunday After Pentecost by Eastern Christians and November 1 by Western Christians. This 18th century Russian icon features 80 representatives of all the ranks of Saints: Apostles, Prophets, Hierarchs,...

The Apostle Jude (also known as Thaddeus, Lebbaeus, and Barsabas), was one of the twelve Apostles. He was also Jesus' half-brother, the son of Saint Joseph the Betrothed by his first wife. Saint Jude wrote a brief epistle, which is part of the New...