Icons

This historic icon depicts the Holy Cross in a symbolic form, with the crown of thorns at its center. Below is a skull, representing the Cross’s victory over death. The Cross is surrounded by angels, cherubim, and seraphim. Two are holding liturgical...

This detail from a large 16th century fresco features an angel, titled "Angel of the Lord." He is dressed as a deacon, as Psalm 103 describes the angels as "ministering spirits." He holds a royal scepter and orb, representing the authority given to...

This icon was commissioned in late 2020 based on a prototype from the Dormition Monastery in Hamatoura, Lebanon. It is unique and most people have never seen anything like it anywhere in the world. It shows Christ "The Great High Priest" offering...

When the Virgin Mary was born to her aged and barren parents, they promised to dedicate her to God. In fulfillment of that promise, when she was able to walk, they brought her to the temple to live among the temple virgins, to serve God for 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, bringing with Him all of the righteous Old Testament...

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. In this...

Saint Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia was an Athonite hieromonk known for his gifts of spiritual discernment, a type of clairvoyance which he sometimes called "spiritual television." He was born in 1906 in the village of Saint John Karystia, in the province...

This sweet icon is painted in the "Academic" style which was popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The Theotokos is robed in a beautiful red-and-gold garment as she gestures to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, showing that her glory is not her...

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 scroll to her.) All Creation rejoices in thee, O...

Saint Ignatius is known to have been a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, and a contributor to the early ministry of the Church. He is also believed to have been that “little child” who Jesus used as an example of the...

This icon is offered by Legacy Icons with the permission of the iconographer, Brian Matthew Whirledge.

Here Christ extends His hand to His beloved friend Lazarus, who comes out of his tomb after being dead for four days. This miraculous event happened just before Palm Sunday. By this action, Christ displayed His power over death and pointed to His...

Although his parents were strong Christians, Ephraim (or Ephrem), born in Nisbis, was thoughtless and rebellious in his youth. It was not until his antics bordered on crime and he was accused of theft that Ephrem began to repent of his ways, and...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

The Washing of the Feet occurred in the Gospel at the Last Supper before the Lord’s Passion. In this event, he as the Master washes the feet of his servants, the Disciples. This role reversal demonstrated Christ’s great humility and taught us how we...

    Raphael in the Hebrew language means Healing of God or God the Healer. One of the eight traditional archangels, he is named in the book of Tobit, where he restores sight to the blind. He holds a staff and an orb, which represents...

After rising from the tomb, Jesus is met by Mary Magdalene, who kneels in worship before Him. This icon is also known as Noli me tangere, Latin for "Do not hold on to me," which were Christ's words to Mary when they met.

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

The Theotokos of the Passion is one of the most recognized Byzantine icons of the Mother of God (Theotokos) by both Eastern Orthodox Christians as well as Western Roman Catholics, who know it as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It is believed to be...

Saint Elizabeth was born in Germany in 1864 to a noble family. At age 14 she was orphaned, and was raised in part by her grandmother, Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She married into the Russian Royal Family in 1884, joining to her husband, Grand Duke...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Matthew the Evangelist was also called Levi. As one of the Twelve Apostles, he witnessed the works and miracles of Jesus, and is traditionally held to have described those in the Gospel of his name eight years after the Ascension. When he was called...

An angel is a messenger of God, and a being which has stood before God and praised Him from a time before human comprehension. We cannot fully grasp what an angel's exact nature is, but we can understand an angel's function on earth. In icons,...

This icon is one of the great treasures of the New Valaam Monastery in Finland. The wonderworking icon features the Theotokos standing on a cloud, holding Christ, in the Hodegetria ("she who shows the way") style. The icon was painted at...

Amidst the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was afraid of the waves and took his eyes off Christ. But the Lord was there to save him, as He is for all of us.

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...

Embracing Divine Love: The Story of the Sweet Kissing Icon In the heart of Orthodox Christian tradition lies a beloved icon known as the "Sweet Kissing" or "Glykophilousa" icon. This sacred image depicts the tender moment of affection between the...

This Byzantine icon, known in Latin as Salus Populi Romani, is an ancient symbol of Rome. Its history stretches back to its arrival in Rome in the year 590 under Pope St. Gregory the Great (the Dialogist). It is one of the icons believed to have been...

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...