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I am currently working on an icon of a Roman Catholic who has been beatified, but not yet canonized, by the Catholic Church. I was assuming that I would not put a halo, but merely hint at one with a circular border, but I have just seen an icon of Franz Jagerstatter, the Austrian who was executed by the Germans for refusing service in the Nazi Army, and who was beatified by Benedict XVI, and it has a halo.
I realize that the Roman Church does not have anything like a list of canons for iconographers (indeed, it is doubtful that anything so neat exists in the Orthodox Churches either) and I realize that there is not a parallel to the process of beatification, which is a recognition of holiness by the Church prior to formal beatification, in the Orthodox Churches. So I guess what I am looking for is informed opinion, as well as citations of any precedents.
So what do you all think? Is a halo appropriate in an icon of one of the Blesseds?
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Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!
From the little I know of the theology of icons, I don't believe an icon is written before a saint is glorified, or in Latin terms, canonized.
BOB
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In my opinion...
Beatification is the equivalent of a "local glorification/canonization" which is done by an individual Orthodox eparchy or monastery.
Those who are beatified are locally commemorated in a particular area (e.g.,diocese, monastery, country)before their veneration is extended to the whole Catholic Church through canonization.
The icons of the Ukrainian/Ruthenian/Russian Catholic martyrs beatified by His Holiness John Paul II of blessed memory during his visit to Ukraine included halos when they were revealed during the liturgy of beatification.
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Thanks, Griego. If it is good enough for JPII it is good enough for me. Also, since posting this I have been googling images of various blesseds, and it seems the custom to give them halos.
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Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!
From the little I know of the theology of icons, I don't believe an icon is written before a saint is glorified, or in Latin terms, canonized.
BOB It would be unthinkable for me to see Icons of any of our martyred Ruthenian Bishops, Theodore Romzha, Paul Godjich, Vasyl Hopko, without halos. Frankly, as far as I am concerned they are saints. They were martyred for the faith. We would invoke them as saints in the early church.
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I don't see any reason why a Blessed cannot be depicted with a halo.
Dave
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The Capuchins have an official series of portraits for all of their blesseds and saints, which can be seen in many Capuchin convents and parishes.
The beatified have an aureole of light around their heads, but only the canonized have a defined circular halo.
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