Saints

This detail from a  16th century fresco depicts a very unique Tetramorph of the Four Evangelists. A Tetramorph is a symbolic combination of four figures. In this icon, the traditional symbols of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are combined into...

In this 13th century icon from the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, Saint John Climacus ("of the Ladder"), the author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, is depicted as a hermit in his distinctive cloak. He is commemorated on March 30 and...

Saint Nicholas of Zhicha (also commonly known as Saint Nikolai Velimirovich) was a 20th century Bishop and Confessor of the Faith who labored in America at the end of his life. He was born in Lelich, Serbia, on January 4, 1881 (December 23, 1880, OS)...

This historic icon from Mt. Athos depicts the Old Testament Patriarch Jacob. Known as the man who wrestled with the Angel of God, his life was one of hardship and preparation. His and his children’s story takes up more than half of the book of...

In this icon, painted by Bulgarian iconographer Georgi Chimev, the Forerunner holds his own beheaded head on a platter while he holds a cross, signs and symbols of his martyric death. While this icon can be used on the many feasts of Saint John...

Saint (Elder) Paisios was an Athonite monk, spiritual father, founder of monasteries, and prolific writer of many works that have been translated and read throughout the world. He reposed in 1994. The saint was glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate...

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 contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the Righteous Rebecca, bride of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob. As the grandmother of Jacob’s twelve sons, she figures prominently in Christ’s lineage. In addition, her story of trust and fidelity...

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...

Ruth lived about the 13th century before Christ. She was the great-grandmother of David, the King of Israel. During a time of famine in Israel, Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem took their sons and traveled to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died,...

Painted in the beautiful decorative style of ancient Byzantine manuscripts, this striking icon features the Lord Jesus standing in the center as a Teachers. His students, the Apostles, stand round about Him, receiving His words. The Prophets and...

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...

This beautiful icon depicts the Apostle Paul, one of the preeminent Apostles and missionaries of the first generation of Christians. From the Holy Mountain, Mount Athos, it captures the humility and holiness of this renowned saint of the Church...

This 13th century icon from Mount Sinai depicts the Saint Peter, a chief of the Apostles and the first bishop of Antioch and of Rome. Originally a fisherman, Peter was called by Christ and witnessed his Transfiguration. After denying Christ and being...

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,...

This exquisite 19th century fresco is from the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kratovo, Macedonia. It depicts the Angelic Host of Heaven of  archangels, cherubim, and seraphim, from the visions of Ezekiel. The iconographer captures the glory and...

Saint Gregory was born in 1296 and raised in the imperial court of Constantinople, where he excelled in both religious and secular knowledge. He later departed to Mount Athos and labored in the Vatopedi Monastery. When his harsh asceticism brought an...

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...

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...

Saint Brendan was born in the year 484 in County Kerry, Ireland. He was educated in the monastery school at Tuam. When he was 26, he was ordained a priest and undertook several missionary journeys throughout the Scottish Isles and Britain. An...

Melchizedek was the king of Salem during the time of Abraham. He is briefly mentioned in Genesis as having offered a sacrifice of bread and wine to God, and he blessed Abraham. He is a mysterious figure, but the key teaching of the Church is that...

Also known as Parasceva the New, Parascheva of Moldova, or Petka of Serbia, this 11th century ascetic is one of the most beloved saints of the Balkans. Her relics are enshrined in Iasi, Romania, where a procession occurs each year on her feast...

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,...

Samuel’s prophecies were a driving force in the era after the Israelites had settled in one land. His conception and birth, after his then-barren mother Hannah offered her sorrow to God and asked for His mercy and blessing, foreshadows the...

Dobri Dobrev was a Bulgarian ascetic. Born in 1914, his father died in World War I and he was raised by his mother. He married in 1940 and had four children. He soon found himself serving in World War II, during which an explosion left him almost...

The holy prophet Joshua, the Son of Nun (in Greek, Jesus of Navi), was called by Moses to survey the Promised Land. He urged the people to trust in God as they prepared to enter the land. He was chosen to succeed Moses, and after Moses' death, Joshua...

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 Juvenaly (or Juvenal) was born in Siberia. He worked as a mining engineer. When he was 30 years old, his wife died and he joined a monastery. He was later sent to Alaska as a missionary, where he worked among the natives for three years. He...

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,...

Saint Mardarije of Libertyville was the first bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the New World. He was born Ivan Uskokovich on November 2, 1889, in Kornet, Montenegro, to pious parents. Baptized in the local church of Saint George, young Ivan...

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...

Saint Macarius the Great (or Makarios) was from Egypt. He struggled in the deserts near Skete in Thebaid, northern Egypt. He was called "the child elder" for his advanced wisdom and ascetic life. He was a renowned preacher, and some fifty of his...

This icon of the holy Apostle Paul was painted by the master iconographer Saint Andrei Rublev. Originally named Saul, Paul was a Jew and a Pharisee. He was a leader of Christian persecutors, and was responsible for the stoning of Saint Stephen, a...

For a stunning full-size or scaled replica of this icon, visit The Mount Sinai Collection by Legacy Icons. A portion of every sale is given to support the holy work of Saint Catherine's Monastery. Moses was a prophet, transcriber of Holy Law, and...

Saint Sebastian (Dabovich) was born the son of Serbian immigrants in San Francisco, California, in 1863. He studied theology in Kiev and Saint Petersburg, where he was tonsured a monk and ordained a hierodeacon in 1887. After completing his education,...

Saint Chloe was a citizen of Corinth and a co-worker of the Apostle Paul. She was concerned about divisions forming within the Church of that city, and she rushed to Ephesus to ask Saint Paul for help (I Corinthians 1:11). From this, we can see that...

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...

This famous Hagia Sophia mosaic features Christ, the Theotokos, and Saint John the Baptist in a Deesis (Supplication) scene. The Lord Jesus is enthroned while his Mother and Forerunner pray in behalf of the world. The mosaic was completed in the 13th...

The Apostle Philip of the Twelve was a friend of brothers and fellow Apostles Andrew and Peter. When Christ called Philip to be an Apostle, Philip immediately went to Nathanael and proclaimed that He was the Messiah of Israel. After Pentecost, Philip...

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...