Icons

This fresco from the Slivnichki Monastery in Macedonia is part of a series based on the Akathist Hymn. The scene depicts the Theotokos as the Burning Bush of Moses. In the words of the Akathist...

The Mother of God has long been associated with Moses' burning bush, which held God but was not burned up. This icon is a symbolic representation of this idea. The Theotokos is surrounded by ranks...

This unique icon of the Washing of the Feet is from the 10th century Bamberg Psalter. It is a glorious depiction from St. John's Gospel (13:1-17) of Christ washing the feet of his disciples on the...

The hymn All Creation Rejoices in Thee is part of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, and was written by St. John of Damascus. (He appears in this icon, to the left of the Theotokos, presenting his...

Jehudiel (also translated as Jegudiel) in the Hebrew language means Glorifier of God. One of the eight traditional archangels, he is depicted holding a golden crown and whip. He is considered to be...

Palm Sunday is the celebration of Christ's triumphal entry into the royal city of Jerusalem. Riding on a young donkey, he was met by a massive crowd who publicly hailed Him as king. They waved palm...

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...

This beautiful Russian icon depicts the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church Calendar, featuring the 12 Great Feasts around its perimeter with Pascha (Easter) in the center. Reproduced from the 18th...

Saint Athanasius was the founder of the first monastic communities on Mount Athos in Greece about the turn of the first millennium. To this day, Athos is the home of some 20 ancient monastic...

Saint George was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. At the age of 20, he joined the Roman army under Emperor Diocletian and soon...

Saint Philoumenos was born in Morphou, Cyprus, in 1913. At the age of 14, he and his twin brother entered the monastic life in Cyprus, and at age 20 departed for Jerusalem. There, Fr. Philoumenos...

Saint Phoebe was a deaconess in the church of Cenchreae in Corinth. She was mentioned by Saint Paul in the Book of Romans as a benefactor of many, including Paul himself. He sent Phoebe to Rome to...

Saint Zlata (also known as Saint Chryse; both words mean "gold") was born in the 18th century in the village of Slatena, Ottoman Bulgaria (modern Chrysi, Greece). She came from a poor peasant family...

This unique icon depicts the Saints Peter, Paul, Olga, and Xenia gathered under the glory and grace of their mutual Lord. The anonymous medieval Russian iconographer captured the glory and humility...

The eleusa (tenderness) genre of icons has Christ embracing His Mother tenderly in a gesture of love. Her hand points to her Son in a gesture of humility and deference to Him as God. This 18th...

The Theotokos of Kazan has been popular in Russia since the 16th century. The wonderworking original of this icon traveled from Constantinople to Russia in the 13th century. It disappeared when the...

The feast of All Saints is commemorated on the Sunday After Pentecost by Eastern Christians and November 1 by Western Christians. This 17th century icon is of Greek origin. Symbolism Center –...

This unique historical icon of the Annunciation is from the 10th century Bamberg Psalter. The Archangel Gabriel was sent from God to greet the Virgin, saying, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord...

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...

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...

Mid-Pentecost is celebrated on the Wednesday 25 days after Pascha, the halfway point between Pascha at Pentecost. This feast celebrates Christ as the Holy Wisdom of God, as the Gospel describes Him...

This unique icon of the Crucifixion of Christ is from the 10th century Bamberg Psalter. It is a glorious depiction of the Gospels' accounts of Christ's voluntary death and sacrifice. The Theotokos...

Saint John became archbishop of Alexandria in 608. He fought against heresy throughout his episcopacy, but he is especially remembered for his generosity to the poor. He is also referred to as...

The Lord appears as the just Judge of the world, with a sword in his mouth (Revelation 19:15). Below, humanity rises from the dead and faces judgment by the angels: some go to heaven, others into...

“And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory…”(John 1:17, Orthodox Study Bible). Thus, John recorded the birth of the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of our souls...

This icon is a beautiful Byzantine portrayal of the Old Testament Prophet Zephaniah. A contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah, he lived during the time of King Josiah and was instrumental in helping...

Saint Boniface lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (286-305). He was the servant of a ranking Roman woman named Aglais, but in truth they were living together in a sinful union. Boniface...

Saint Raphael was born in Beirut in 1860. He spent the first decades of his life traveling throughout the Middle East and Russia, gaining knowledge and experience as a clergyman. Father Raphael was...

This historic Byzantine icon depicts Saint Stephen the Protomartyr in his vestments and incense burner of the diaconate. His story is recalled in chapters 6-7 of the Acts of the Apostles.  The...

This beautiful Byzantine icon depicts Saint Theophylact of Ohrid. Renowned for his writings on Scripture and missionary presence to the Bulgarians in the 11th-12th centuries, he reposed on December...

This beautiful icon was painted in Constantinople in the mid-to-late 13th century. The Theotokos looks to her Son, Jesus, who gives a blessing with His right hand, and whose stance evokes the idea...

Saint Alypius was from Adrianople. One of the famous "pillar saints" (stylites), he lived on a pillar for over 50 years. He reposed in the 7th century. His feast is celebrated on November 26.

This beautiful example of Western iconography is part of the illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospel, which was produced in England in the early 8th century. We see Saint John writing...

This 16th century Russian icon is known as the Unsleeping Eye (Nedremannoe Oko). It depicts Christ Emmanuel, as a youth, reclining on a bed in Paradise, represented in iconography as a white...

This beautiful Hagia Sophia mosaic features Christ Enthroned, standing between Emperor Constantine IX and his wife Empress Zoe, holding symbols of donations. The 11th century mosaic is contemporary...

A Deësis icon is an ideal centerpiece in a home prayer corner, serving as an example of how to approach our Lord properly and prayerfully, even as the saints intercede for us. In the Deësis icon,...

The title of this icon, which is written in Slavonic across the top, comes from the Canon of Holy Saturday: Do not weep for me, Mother, as you see Me entombed: the Son conceived seedlessly in your...

This 19th century Russian Old Believer icon depicts the Exaltation of the Cross. Commemorating the miraculous discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, in 326. The...

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,...