Byzantine Iconography is an 1800-year-old art form with its antecedents in Hellenistic art of Egyptian Late Antiquity. It is the oldest and only Christian art form that remains unchanged. The word 'icon' - icona, ikona, икона (Russian) comes from the Greek word eikona (εἰκών, eikōn). It was first used in 500BC to describe a wall fresco, 3D statue, floor mosaic, encaustic grave painting, etc. Writi
ng an encouraging letter to a small church in Asia Minor, the Apostle Paul used the word ‘icon’ to describe Christ. Paul claimed that the man everybody knew as Christ was in fact also God. Thereby linking the material person with the divine - forever connecting in a sacred icon the material with the spiritual. From that point on, the word ‘icon’ meant more than a mere image or picture. The icon is a door leading us into communion with the heavenly kingdom. Its purpose is to reveal and bring about participation with a transfigured world. The icon technique has developed over the centuries in order to express the spiritual realities of life with God. Raw materials such as pigments, wood, egg and animal glue are used. Then through technique, prayer and living a sacramental life, these materials are transformed into a sacred icon. As such, an icon is a liturgical object where spirituality and material are inseparable. Our icons are hand painted using traditional techniques at the time of commission and can be found in private and commercial collections around the world.
