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For many years now I have been interested in iconography. I've read books and have searched the net far and wide absorbing information pertaining to this most sacred art.

I was going to post on the "Roary Icon" thread, but decided this topic deserved a thread of its own.

I saw a link on that thread to Bridge Building Images.

I find many of the "icons" offered on that site to be questionable. For example:
www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/phm.html [bridgebuilding.com]
www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/tsb.html [bridgebuilding.com]

I was once mailed a prayer card of St. Anthony from a well known Roman Catholic magazine with the following image -
www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/gan.html [bridgebuilding.com]
It reminded me of a panda sitting in a tree. I returned the card explaining that I feel the "iconographer" who made this image is extemely adept at his work, and has written many beautiful images, but mimics the most sacred of Christian art forms and I cannot accept the card. I never heard back from them.

There are many other such questionable images as well.

For this reason, I stay away from Bridge Building Images. Am I wrong?

Without going into detail, another questionable supplier of icon reproductions is www.monasteryicons.com. [monasteryicons.com.] I will not patronize them either. They seem to do very well, though, especially among Roman Catholics. I have also seen their icons on Eastern Catholic and Orthodox sites as well.

Any input would be appreciated.

In Christ, Bill

Bill,

From what you showed me, I would stay away from Bridge Building Images too. I am disgusted that anyone would try to make homosexuality "holy" by use of an icon.

There has been a lot of discusion about Monastery Icons on this Forum. Unfortunately, to my computer knowledge, that thread is no longer accesable.

I haven't made up my mind on Monastery Icons, so I offer no opinion on them.

God bless you.

Paul

Bill- I am grateful for your discernment. Robert Lentz [who recently returned to the Franciscan Order] is a gifted artist who is capable of doing very fine iconography. However, he has chosen to disdain the Tradition with a lot of his so-called icons, which celebrate all manner of error and evil [Christ as the horned god, "Sts." Einstein, Harvey Milk, and any PC dead person he can find]. Monastery Icons is a business run by a so-called Gnostic Orthodox order of monks. Another odd iconographer is Fr McNichols, SJ, who has done an image of The Passion of Matthew Shepherd. In another thread awhile ago, someone said that this is legitimate because of the Russian tradition of the Passionbearer; that is one may share in the Passion without necessarily being a technical martyr [eg, the last Czar and his family]. However, one must through an act of the will identify with the Passion to qualify. It is highly unlikely that Mr Shepherd, who was on the prowl for gay sex before he was murdered by a couple of thugs, did so. The image speaks more of Fr McNichols' own political and sexual orientations.
Many people buy the more traditional images from these artists, but as there are, ahem, many iconographers of right belief out there, it is my contention that one should never intentionally purchase an icon from one who is in defiance of Sacred Tradition.
There have been many arguments about this in the year or so since I have been on the forum, if you want to do the homework you can review these.

Can anyone provide me with a good site to obtain Icons.

I am looking for Icons for St Alexander, Stephen and Christina

I want them for a baptism gift and First penance gifts

I generally prefer Orthodox suppliers for icons, if I can find them. The advantage to Monastery Icons is that they have many icons of western saints that the Orthodox suppliers don't carry. I do have some western saints that I honor right along with the eastern ones. Of course, statues are always available for western saints, but many times icons are not.

Bill,

Click on "search" at the top right of your screen.

• "Search Words" - Enter Monastery Icons (do not use quotation marks or parentheses around the words)
• "Match all search terms above" - leave that text (the default choice) checked
• "Select Forum" - choose Search All Open Forums
• "Search In" - choose Entire Message
• "Search By Date" - choose Any Date
• "Member Number or Public Display Name" - leave blank

You will come up with about 45 hits - a few will turn out to be posts in which the two words are both used, but not as the name of the company - but, most will contain discussion of it.

Many years,

Neil

Dear Little Green Coat,

Byzantine Orthodox Icons www.skete.com [skete.com] may have what you are looking for. Also, Orthodox Church Supply of America orthodoxchurchsupplies.com has many nicely done Greek reproductions, and Holy Transfiguration Monastery (HOCNA) www.htmadmin.phpwebhosting.com [htmadmin.phpwebhosting.com] many saint icons also.

The Russian style icon reproductions available from Byzantine Seminary Press www.byzantines.net/byzantinepress/icons.htm [byzantines.net] are some of the most beautiful reproductions available, especially for that price. The pictures on the website don't do them justice, they are really well done.

Dear Neil,

Thank You.

Bill

Sorry, a bunch of the links I tried to post aren't working. Try Google, you'll find lots of links there.

Bill,

I found that too when I tried them a while ago, but they're ok now - it must have been a server problem.

Many years,

Neil

Neil,

Thanks. My not so keen eyes missed the "Any Date" option.

I had a short visit with Father Deacon Gerry at OLPH this afternoon. I stopped by the church to show my 11-year old daughter a Byzantine church.

Paul

I know. I'm not crazy about "Bridge Builders " either. But sometimes that is the only icon of that saint available. I also collect holy cards and trade with people in Europe. I mail them in the greeting cards from Bridge Builders.

I think you can obtain icons of those saints from Holy Transfiguration in Brookline, MA. They have a web site. Nice icons.

Holy Transfiguration Monastery has its own problems, sort of on the opposite end of the spectrum from Bridgebuilders; ie, the schismatic right instead of the heretical left. I really urge everyone to patronize orthodox - in both senses of the word- iconographers. Try St Vladimirs Press, Conception Abbey, Icon and Book Service, the iconographers on Iconofile.com and the various iconographers on this forum [for originals].

Light & Life has a selection of good icons, too, but limited.

Tammy

Dear Iconophile,

You are correct about HTM. I mentioned them because their icons are "orthodox", big "O" or little "o". Let us err on the side of schismatics rather than heretics. Besides the Church of Geeece just said NO to his Eminence Christodoulos about visiting His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Relations don't seem to be what we, or at least I would like them to be.

In Christ, Bill