Word of the Day: Icon

ICON. A flat painting, sacred picture of the Eastern Church. It is generally painted on wood and covered, except the face and hands, with relief of seed pearls and gold or silver. The icon of the saint of the day is usually displayed on an analogion. Icons of Our Lord and Our Lady are reverenced with great devotion, incensed, carried in processions, and normally placed on the iconostasis screen. The icons in the Eastern Church take the place of statues in the West. (Etym. Greek eikōn, image.)

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Also spelt 'ikon'. Father is a bit off in his definition. He says icons are generally 'covered, except the face and hands, with relief of seed pearls and gold or silver'. This is true of icons venerated in a Church, if the Parish can afford it. Many Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, also keep icons in their home, often in an 'icon corner' analogous to the 'home altar' that was kept in many Western homes in the old days. These home icons are seldom covered or ornately decorated.

Also, traditionally, the making of an icon is called 'writing the icon'. Several icons are believed to have been written by St Luke the Physician. Others have a miraculous origin.