Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox ChurchAn icon (from the Greek word "eikon," "image") is a wooden panel painting of a holy person or scene from Orthodox Christianity, the religion of the Byzantine Empire that is practiced today mainly in Greece and Russia. It was believed that these works acted as intermediaries between worshipers and the holy personages they depicted. Their pictorial language is stylized and primarily symbolic, rather than literal and narrative. Indeed, every attitude, pose, and color depicted in an icon has a precise meaning, and their painters--usually monks--followed prescribed models from iconographic manuals. The goal of this book is to catalogue the vast heritage of images according to iconographic type and subject, from the most ancient at the Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai to those from Greece, Constantinople, and Russia. Chapters focus on the role of icons in the Orthodox liturgy and on common iconic subjects, including the fathers and saints of the Eastern Church and the life of Jesus and his followers. As with other volumes in the Guide to Imagery series, this book includes a wealth of color illustrations in which details are called out for discussion. |
Contents
Introduction | 6 |
The Iconostasis and the Orthodox Calendar | 9 |
The Old Testament | 43 |
Gospel Episodes and Church Feasts | 93 |
The Mother of | 163 |
Christ the Savior | 225 |
Apostles and Martyrs | 257 |
Fathers of the Eastern Church | 301 |
Monastic Saints of the East | 321 |
Russian Saints | 343 |
Appendixes | 377 |
378 | |
Glossary | 380 |
383 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham Akathistos hymn ancient Andrei Rublev angels Annunciation apostles Archangel Michael Basil Belozersk bishop Blessed Byzantine Museum Cathedral Christ child Christ Emmanuel Christian Church Constantinople cross Cyril Deesis demon disciples divine Dormition Elijah Emperor enthroned Ezekiel faith Father Feast day fifteenth Gabriel Gospel Greek Gregory half of sixteenth halo hand heaven Hodegetria holds Holy Face icon Iconography iconostasis inside Isaiah Jerusalem Jesus John Climacus John of Damascus John the Baptist King liturgy Lord Luke maphorion martyrs Mary Mary's Matthew Monastery of Saint monastic monks Moscow Moses Mother Mount Athos Mount Sinai Novgorod Novgorod school omophorion Orthodox painted Passion Peter prayer prophet represents Resurrection Romanos the Melodist royal doors Russia Russian Museum Saint Catherine Saint Petersburg Saint Sergius scene scroll Seraphim Sergius of Radonezh seventeenth century Simeon sixteenth century Sources stands Stylite symbol Temple Text throne Title tomb Tretyakov Gallery Trinity Troparion veil Virgin vision Vladimir Vologda Russia wearing