Icons

This stunning Russian icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Assumption) captures the beauty and glory of Christ receiving the repose of his mother.  The Church has received the tradition of the Dormition (sleeping) and receiving into heaven of...

The Apostle and Evangelist John was especially loved by Christ for his love and purity, and with Peter and James, was one of the closest Apostles to Him. He witnessed the Transfiguration and was the only Apostle to follow Christ to the very Cross, where...

Pantocrator, "almighty," is one of the many names of God used in the Bible. It refers to Christ as Sabaoth, "Lord of Hosts," the ruler of all, and the sustainer of the universe. This image of Christ is the most widely-used subject in all of...

This incredibly detailed icon of the Nativity is filled with scenes. In the upper left corner we see the Annunciation, and the Virgin Mary giving the news of the incarnation to St. Joseph, and the angel reassures Joseph about Mary's conception. In the...

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...

After six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And...

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 powerful icon was painted by master iconographer Saint Andrei Rublev at the beginning of the 15th century. It was the central icon of the Deësis (Supplication) row of the iconostasis of the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir, Russia. In the mid...

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...

The Lord's restoration of sight to the Blind Man, as described in John 9:1-41, is celebrated on the fifth Sunday after Pascha (Easter) in the Orthodox Church. According to many of the Church Fathers, the man was not merely blind, but he was born...

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...

This icon featuring the Theotokos, Christ, and Saint Joseph has been part of the Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral's collection for more than 100 years. It is likely a 19th century icon from Syria, based on the estimate of the iconographer...

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,...

This late 3rd century fresco is from the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome. It is an allegorical icon, depicting a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. Two other sheep look up to him, and in the background are two trees with birds of paradise...

This beautiful icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai is a depiction of the Theotokos as the Burning Bush seen by Moses—as she held within herself the Fire of Divinity, Christ, without being consumed. The Bush is interpreted as a...

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...

As recorded in Matthew 26, a few days before Christ's death, a harlot came and anointed his feet with expensive ointment and wept for her sins. When they saw this, the disciples and especially Judas were angry. But Christ rebuked them and said she had...

The Apostle and Evangelist Mark (also called John Mark) is the author of the Gospel of Mark. According to Church tradition, he was the young man who was seized by soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane and fled away naked (Mark 14:51-52). He was a...

This beautiful example of early Christian iconography (2nd or 3rd century) is from the Roman catacombs. It depicts our Lord Jesus as the Sower from the parable in Matthew 23, Mark 4, and Luke 8. Together with the Good Shepherd and Pantocrator...

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...

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...

John the Evangelist did not only author a Gospel, but was a much-beloved Apostle and minister of Jesus. He and his brother James were both fishermen and both called by Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname Boanerges,...

This ancient fresco icon depicts the Theotokos and Christ in one of the earliest known representations. From the Roman catacombs of Priscilla, it dates from the second half of the 3rd century during a time of continued persecution. The anonymous...

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...

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...

Saint Alexis Toth (or Tovt) was a Hungarian-American Greek Catholic priest. After being mistreated by a series of Latin bishops, he converted to Orthodoxy and worked tirelessly to bring other uniate communities into the Orthodox Church. Saint Alexis...

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...

This historic icon depicts Christ on Holy Friday as He prepares to leave his trial and travel to the Cross. Painted on the Holy Mountain (Mount Athos), it captures the glory and humility of “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...

This icon is used in the Russian tradition for the feast of Pentecost, and in many churches it appears above the Holy Doors. It bears two meanings.  On its surface, this icon depicts a scene from the Bible. The image of three angels grouped...

This 17th century icon features the Prophet Elias (Elijah, Iliya) and the Patriarch Enoch (Enokh). What these Old Testament men have in common is that they never died. According to Genesis, Enoch walked with God for 365 years "and he was no more;"...