www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Monastery Icons

Many of us have asked about them, this is the first time I have seen much info on them...
Scroll to post #7 & #8
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=27272&highlight=monastery+icons

A few years back, when those icons had begun to be popular, a friend of a friend had moved to California. He tells the story of how he had entered a bookstore out there, and, as he rounded the corner from one row of books to another, a book fell off the top shelf and hit him in the head. It was a book by "Abbot" George Burke defending the heretic Pelagius! It was at that point that we realized that this operation wasn't kosher (or, should I say, Orthodox)!

Dn. Robert

I still like their icons.

After having seen work by serious iconographers, such as Vladislav Andreev, and his students, who run with the strict rules of iconography (including use of only natural pigments-no acrylics-and a serious, almost monastic, life of prayer, fasting, and self-mortification), I, personally, don't even think that "Monastery Icons" are of good quality. Just my slanted opinion.

Dn. Robert

Dear Pani Rose,

Thank you for posting this link. The background information on iconography is a wonderful source for those of us who are not Byzantine (more to be pitied than censured).

I know there are much better icons available via local bookstores or online resources; several years ago when I bought some of my icons via Monastery Icons, I simply didn't know any better.

A local Catholic bookstore sells their "Monastery Incense." Perhaps the one thing their "incense" would be useful for is freshening up an outhouse.

Then you'll have a Pelagian outhouse.

Of course, Glade is much cheaper.

I suspected something was wrong the second I saw their western style saint icons. It's not done in Byzantine idealogy, since I know, as an icongrapher, I would never ever put black on a saint. Something very basic that was screwed up, in my opinion.

Please pardon my ignorance but what do you mean by "put black on a saint"? Do you mean black clothing?

I only ask because I have seen many Greek icons (in a local town with a huge Greek population) of a saint who is completely dressed in black. It is clear that the Saint in the icon (and I'm sorry I don't read Greek so I can't tell you which Saint) is in priestly garb and it is all black.

I assure you these icons are made in Greece and imported here for sale. They are not products of Monastery Icons.

Are you saying that these Greek icons are wrong?

Nathan,

I have to agree with Carole about her observation. I know of many icons that are painted or written on the Holy Mountain that depict the saint in the black monastic habit. One that comes to mind was the glorification icon of Saint Nektarios of Aegina.

Maybe some of our other iconographers would like to jump in on this question?

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Fr. Anthony,

Thank you!!! You have saved me from wracking my brain all evening to come up with the name of the Saint. It was St. Nektarios that I was thinking of. Icons of St. Nektarios are frequently found in gift shops in the little Greek hamlet of Tarpon Springs, FL.

I would have driven myself mad trying to remember the name of the Saint! Many thanks again.

Carole

Yes Carole,

I believe this is the icon that you saw in Tarpon. It happens to be one of the more widely known icons of the saint.

Saint Nektarios [goarch.org]

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Hm, that's strange, because I always thought that black was a symbol for the Abyss, and shouldn't be put on a saint, since a saint is definitely not of the Abyss. I could be wrong, I've only been doing this for a year.

(tries to remove his foot from his mouth) :rolleyes:

Peace of Christ,
Nathan Augustine