The Icon in the Orthodox Christian Church
by Mike Piechocinski, Iconographer    

The icon in the Orthodox Christian Church represents Christ incarnate. The very nature of Christ having been in the form of man in the flesh gives credence to the depiction of his image. This notion of incarnation was the foundation of the holy image. The word icon is derived from the Greek "eikon" which means image or portrait. The modern definition is simply as a symbol; which we see applied in many ways in the modern secular world. In the Orthodox Christian Church the icon can be considered as important as the written word. The icon is a symbol of the truth as it presents a window into heaven. The visual content of the icon can have many subjects. Most importantly is the icon of Christ. Other subjects are the Mother of God (Theotokos), the Evangelists, the Apostles, the Saints of the Church, and Festal icons which depict scenes from the life of Christ.

The icon is not an object of worship but of veneration. The image of the icon is revered in the same way as the scriptural writings of the Church. The idolatrous idea of worship is a common misconception in the role of the icon. Indeed, this was a topic of debate in the early years of the Church. The image is a symbolic representation of the the subject which serves as a reminder or focus to the faithful in their worship. It is not the physical object that is revered but the subject being depicted.

The visual content of the Icon in the Orthodox Christian Church is unchanging in its basic characteristics. This differs from the iconography of the Western Christian Church, which has its roots in Eastern Orthodox iconography. To change the basic visual characteristics of the iconographic content would be compared to changing the content of the Holy scriptures. This sense of unchanging continuity is a tenet that insures the survivability of the truth. Within these parameters of continuity however, there exist subtle differences. These differences may be attributed to historical, cultural, and media influences. It is possible to identify icons from all parts of the the Christian Orthodox world ranging from Greece, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, Bulgaria, Poland, Serbia, Macedonia, Finland, Cyprus, and the Ukraine. In the many variations that can be discerned from these multicultural Icons the basic characteristics and content of the sacred images remains the same.

The first icon was made by Christ himself. This is the icon called the mandylion or the holy napkin. It is "the image not made by the hand of man," also "the holy face." It is derived from the story of King Abgar of Edessa. He sent a messenger to summon Christ to his court to cure him of an affliction. The messenger found Christ busy preaching to his followers. Upon hearing King Abgar's request, Christ wiped his face on a cloth and gave it to the messenger to give to his King. King Abgar received the cloth and opened it to find the impression of Christ's face upon it. The King recovered from his affliction and placed the cloth in a special place over the city gates. The icon of the Mandylion is very important in the Orthodox Church.

In the early Christian Church many of the images used were quite symbolic due to persecution of Christians in the Roman world. The early symbols usually represented the Eucharist, The Baptism of Christ, and Christ the Good Shepard. These esoteric representations could easily be mistaken for pagan images and can be seen today preserved in some of the Roman catacombs. With the growth of Christianity in the fourth century, under the protective wing of the first Christian Emperor Constantine and his Eastern Roman Empire, the development of the icon began to flourish. This empire known as the Byzantine Empire, grew to encompass most of the Mediterranean and Eastern world with influences reaching far beyond its political boundaries.

The Icons in the Orthodox Church are based upon prototypes. It is commonly believed that the Evangelist Luke produced several icons of the Mother of God holding the Christ child in his lifetime. Luke had some training in the classical painting style of his time. His work could have easily served as a prototype for iconographers that later followed him. Much of the representational aspects or visual devices in iconography are related to pagan art of late antiquity. Similarities can easily be found in encaustic sarcophagus death portraits of the first to the fourth century in Egypt, Roman wall paintings, and panel paintings as well as portraits in a variety of media of living individuals. This visual vocabulary was easily and effectively adopted and enhanced in the early iconography. Icons have been and continue to be produced in many kinds of media. Three dimensional sculptural images are rarely if ever produced as icons. Encaustic, which is a form of painting with melted wax on a wooden panel is one of the earliest techniques, again pointing to origins of classical antiquity. This was later replaced by egg tempera techniques. Other manners of icon production were in ivory, stone, ceramic, and glass bas relief as well as mosaic and tapestries. Later developments were also used such as oil, distemper, and in this modern day, acrylic.

The iconographers of the twentieth and twenty first centuries have the important responsibility to carry on the faithfulness to the prototypes of those preceding them. It is important to remember that the Christian Orthodox Icon that is produced today may be the prototype of tomorrow.

Mike Piechocinski, Iconographer

History of Icons

Icons in the Orthodox Church are part of the Holy Tradition which includes: Scriptures, Fathers Interpretation of Scriptures, the Creed, Service Books, Ecumenical Councils, Canons and Holy Icons. The entire Church collectively at the seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 787 AD restored and approved the Icons. This triumph of the Icons is celebrated on the first Sunday of great Lent and its called "Orthodoxy Sunday".

Saint Luke, the Holy Apostle and Evangelist, celebrated on October 18th, is regarded as the founder of Christian iconography: "He painted three icons of the most holy Mother of God and also icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and is regarded as the founder of Christian iconography." ("the Pologue for the Ochrid" lives of the saints by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic Pg. 80).

"...but he was later to display a considerable talent as an artist whose icon of the Virgin Mary he gave to the Mother of God herself and which is now the prized possession of the Patriarchate of Constantinople." (the "Orthodox Saints" by George Poulos (Holy Cross) Pg. 43).

Therefore the same hands that wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts wrote the Icon of the Mother of God.