icon
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.25|The Ladder of Divine Ascent (icon)|Ladder of Divine Ascent depicts monks ascending to [[Jesus in heaven in the top right. 12th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery.]]
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An icon is a religious image, typically painted on wood, that depicts sacred figures like Jesus or saints and is used in Christian worship and devotion. Icons matter because they serve as spiritual focal points that help believers connect with the divine through visual representation, as seen in this 12th-century example showing monks ascending toward Jesus.
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Article
30 sectionsContents
- History
- Emergence of the icon
- Origins in primitive Christianity in the first century
- Icons in Eusebius to Philostorgius (425 AD)
- Theodosius to Justinian
- Luke's portrait of Mary
- Iconoclast period
- {{transliteration|grc|Acheiropoieta}}
- Stylistic developments
- Symbolism
- Palladium and miracles
- Eastern Orthodox teaching
- Icon painting tradition by region
- Byzantine Empire
- Crete
- Russia
- Romania
- Serbia
- Ukraine
- Egypt and Ethiopia
- Aleppo
- Svaneti
- Western Christianity
- Catholic view
- Lutheran view
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.25|The Ladder of Divine Ascent (icon)|Ladder of Divine Ascent depicts monks ascending to [[Jesus in heaven in the top right. 12th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery.]]
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels. Although especially associated with portrait style images concentrating on one or two main figures, the term also covers most of the religious images in a variety of artistic media produced by Eastern Christianity, including narrative scenes, usually from the Bible or The lives of saints.