Icons of saints and their meaning in the Orthodox religion and culture

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In Orthodoxy and Catholicism, images of saints and their deeds are called icons. Since both of these religious directions originate from the early Christian churches, the icons of saints and their meaning also came from ancient times. This is not just an image of a saint or his feat in the name of faith, it is a symbol that should help a person comprehend the spiritual depth, find support in it.

In the Catholic faith, the images of saints and martyrs became more artistic over time, they left the symbolism, they became more expression of feelings and emotions. Saints were portrayed as ordinary people who were able to find their way to faith, remained faithful to it to the end.

Orthodox icons and their meaning remain the same. They preserved the ancient traditions of symbolism. Every little thing matters, even the folds on the clothes. The faces never depict torment or suffering, only spiritual joy as a reward for perseverance and patience: the mainvirtues in the Orthodox faith. Color, gestures and objects also matter. For example, a hand pressed to the chest means sympathy and empathy. If the hand is raised up, then it calls for repentance. Both hands raised up are a request for help and heavenly intercession.

The icons of the saints and their meaning are different not only in the symbolism of the depicted things and gestures, but also in the practical help that the image of a martyr, saint or blessed can provide. Each icon helps in a specific case. For example, the icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are probably the most popular in Russia. He is considered the patron saint of sailors, travelers, merchants and children. You can turn to him if there is a serious life problem. And recently, the icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker has become mandatory for every second driver, even if he is not very religious.

There are ancient icons of saints, and their meaning lies in the fact that they have been "prayed" for centuries, hundreds of thousands of people. This is illustrated by the icon of the Kazan Mother of God - the patroness of our capital and all of Russia. With this image, the Russian army went on the attack on the Borodino field. They say that in 1941, when German troops came close to Moscow, Stalin allowed a religious procession around the capital with a miraculous image.

There are modern icons of saints, and their significance has not diminished from the fact that they already belong to a new era. This primarily concerns the image of the Matrona

Moscow. To the face of her saintsenlisted in 1999. But she was revered during her lifetime. Matrona was born at the end of the 19th century in the village of Sebino, in the twenties she moved to Moscow and here she helped all those in need, despite the fact that she herself was blind from birth, and later, due to a disease in her legs, she could not walk. She had the gift of healing and foresight. The blessed one died in 1952 and bequeathed that people would come to her grave, tell about their sorrows, and she would help them. And so it happened, the image of the Matrona of Moscow began to be considered miraculous. Both seriously ill people and people who have serious life problems turn to her for help.