www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Icons ... Question from a "Latin"

My husband has been greatly moved by the spiritual depth and beauty found in iconic art. So much so that he wants to buy icons of our patron saints and hang them in our bedroom over our respective sides of the bed.

This is a major thing for my husband to so moved by religious art that he instigates the purchase and display of such art. He is also more moved by the Divine Liturgy than by any Mass we have attended.

Anyway - on to the question.

Now I know that I have a painting of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus (gifts from our Confirmation sponsors when we were Confirmed in 2003) that were blessed by the parish priest.

Is it acceptable, traditional, or even just permissible to have these icons blessed by the priest at the Ruthenian church we have attended?

Dear Carole,

Yes, absolutely!

It is interesting that in the Greek tradition, it is customary to leave one's home icons (called "Aghia") in the parish church for a period of 40 days. The icons are then anointed with holy oil.

In the East Slavic tradition, the blessing is done by Holy Water - one could leave the icon or neck cross or what-not on the tetrapod in front of the Royal Doors for the time it takes for the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated before the blessing takes place.

Alex

Thank you, Alex.

OH - Alex you have surprised me there :p

I have had some Icons blessed in the Cathedral in London - one was placed in the Altar for 40 days [ that's the one that goes to Rome next month ] and another was there for one Liturgy.

I did not know that they were placed on the Tetrapod

Do elucidate please

Anhelyna

Admin we need a new Smiley - a 'scratching the head' type smiley :p

Okay now for the mother of all stupid questions.

I have found some iconic art that I think is really nice. But the writing on them is in English - like this one [monasteryicons.com]

Is it "okay" that they aren't ... what's the word I'm looking for ... "traditional" (maybe that isn't the right term) in that they aren't written in Greek or Cyrillic? Or that they aren't necessarily reproductions of old icons?

Gee ... I'm not even making sense to myself right now. Feel free to ignore this if you don't understand what I am trying to say!

Carole - if you like them and they 'speak' to you - then have them Blessed and use them.

I get the feeling from the way you say it that these have somehow disturbed you and if so - then leave them alone.

If you do a search on here you will find that there has been a lot of discussion about Icons from 2 Sites - Monastery Icons and Bridgebuilding Icons. To sum it up - don't go to Bridgebuilding Icons - some are OK - most are not

Monastery Icons has had a very chequered past - just be careful..

I'm sure that if you hang on for a bit - you will be showered with everyone's own favourite Site and shop for Icons.

Anhelyna

The order for blessing of icons does vary. In some churches it is done by simply placing them on the altar for a period of time (Divine Liturgies and other services being celebrated on the altar in the meantime).

In some traditions the icons are placed on the tetrapod (not on the altar) and a specific set of prayers in the Trebnik (priest's book of blessings) is used for their sanctification, with the chanting of a troparia or hymn to our Lord, the Mother of God, saint, etc. that is depicted.

Actually - we really like the icons of our patrons from here. I just don't know that much about iconic art and I wasn't sure if they were "supposed" to be a certain way or not.

When you say "chequered past" do you mean poor business practices? Or something wrong with the icons themselves? (Feel free to answer this in e-mail if you don't like posting the answer here).

Dear Carole,
Just remember that Icons are "living" images of those who are portrayed,. Having said that, it has always been the custom to "cover them" (with a cloth) when you are having relations with your spouse, especially since you mention that you would hang them over your bed. You don't need an "audience!"

If I may, and I may be way off base...

You refer to iconic art(though I am a convert of 25 years, I still get new terms confused), that puzzles me a bit and maybe someone could clarify it for me.

If icons are written how are they art? It is truly a talent to behold, and awesome gift to have, but are they not a written language of love. The beauty of what we are to become handed to us from heaven.

Now I am the one not making sence

Pani Rose

Hi, Carole

You might want to check out - if you haven't already - www.skete.com [skete.com]

This is the website for St. Isaac of Syria Skete, which produces many, many beautifual icon prints - including prints of mosaics - from just about all centuries in the history of Christian iconograpy.

Most of the icons at skete.com are either in Greek or Cyrillic, but there are a few - mostly prints of contemporary icons from Jordanville - that are in English. However, if Orthodoxy / Byzantine Catholicism embraces the vernacular in the Divine Liturgy and it prayers, I see no reason why icons labelled in English should be "canonically suspect."

God bless,

Sam

There is a wonderful work and complete study by Archimandrite Januarius Izzo, O.F.M. about antimensia according to Eastern Catholic and Orthodox usuage. In that work, Archimandrite Januarius states that "contact with a consecrated altar (antimension) consecrates and sanctifies whatever is brought into contact with it. It needs no further blessing from a priest but shares in the consecration of the altar and is also consecrated". Would this mean, according to current custom, that if an icon, neck cross, prayer-rope, etc. were to actually be placed so as to come into physical contact with the antimension, the object shares in the consecration of the altar and needs no further blessing?
Fr. Silouan, monk

Pani Rose,

No less an expert on iconogrpahy than Bishop Job of the OCA stated that the difference some authors make between writing and painting an icon is a bunch of nonsense. In Greek the word used to describe making an icon is grapho, which means to draw, write, paint, or inscribe. So to say painting an icon is as correct if not more so in English than to write an icon. The explainantion that we say write because an icon is theology in color (which it certainly is) is simply pious notion with no basis in the original Greek. So to call icons Sacred Art is appropriate I think.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Dear Father Deacon Lance,

Don't beat around the bush then, and say what you think!

I'm sure we can all take it!

Alex

Bless, Father Silouan,

Yes, what you have cited can be applied to anything that is touched to a holy object.

However, this does not prevent such an object from being blessed with holy water by a priest. One may bless things more than once.

I once read that Crosses themselves, insofar as they depict our Lord and His saving Passion, need not be blessed (?).

Also, pilgrims constantly touched their rings and other devotional items to the relics of saints and shrines.

Alex