Religious Icons

History of Religious Icons

Where did the word “icon” come from?

The word icon is Greek and means an image, or

representation of a holy image. Icon refers to all

kinds of religious images, but it is most often

associated with paintings on wood.

What are icons and how long have they been around?

• An icon is an image of a person or event taken directly from Christian scripture and created in a specific manner, according to specific rules.

• Historians date the appearance of the iconographic style to the first three centuries of Christianity. They have been around for almost two thousand years.

How did icons first become popular?

Some people believe that icons were first

popular in people’s houses and then later began

to appear in places of worship. By the 4th and

5th century, they were commonly used in places

of worship, like churches.

Why have icons?

The idea of using icons came about because most Christian

converts came from pagan cultures and most of them were

illiterate, or could not read. Because of this, many of these

converts had trouble understanding bible teachings and the

icons became a way to teach the historical events of the bible.

They were basically like picture books of the bible. Early church

leaders allowed these icons in the church because they allowed

people to better understand the church’s teachings.

What types of icons are there?

Iconic style incorporates many artistic elements

from the ancient art styles of Greece, Rome,

Syria, and Egypt.

Iconoclasts

Even though icons were popular, they kept

arousing the suspicions of some religious

traditionalists who saw them as breaking the

second commandant, “Thou shall not make unto

thee graven images”. In 762, the traditionalists

banned all pictorial representations, or icons, and

began the destruction of the holy images. This

period of time is known as the iconoclasm.

Do we still have icons today?

Icons are still being painted today. There are

many modern artists and craftsmen who uphold

the great traditions of Iconography. Many of the

most famous icons can be found in Russian

museums and private American collections.

Typical Icon Images

• Christ• Saints • The Virgin Mary• Scenes from the Bible

Vocabulary Words

• Halo: Light emanating from a holy person, usually rendered as a circle of gold around the head.

• Pattern: Anything fashioned or designed to be used as a model or guide for something to be made.

• Iconographer: An artist who specializes in the creation of religious icons and upholds the traditions of the ancient art form.

Vocabulary Words

• Burnish: To polish gold leaf with cotton or a special polishing tool.

• Egg Tempura: The painting medium created

by mixing pigments with melted wax;

employed in many of the earliest panel icons.

• Symbols: Something used for or representing something else.

Additional Questions