Another attack on icons by the Emperor Leo III during the next century was overturned when the Empress Theodora permanently reinstated the veneration of icons in 843, a victory which is commemorated as 'the Triumph of Orthodoxy.' The Iconodule position was upheld by the Seventh and last Ecumenical Council, which met in Nicaea in 787 A.D. Iconoclasm may have been influenced by Jewish and Moslem ideas, and also reflectedĪ 'puritan' outlook in Christianity which saw in all images a latent idolatry. Of icons) vigorously defended the place of icons in the life of the Church. ('icon-smashers') were suspicious of any sacred art which represented humanīeings or God, and demanded the destruction of icons. To great controversy in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Iconography, as an integral part of Christian life, was subject As another Church Father, Saint Basil the Great, said, 'With a soundless voice the icons teach those who behold them.' Once when Saint John looked up from the text, the icon of Saint Paul seemed to come alive and the Apostle spoke to him. It was the custom of Saint John Chrysostom to keep an icon of Saint Paul before him whenever he studied the Epistles of Saint Paul, for inspiration and to invoke the Apostle's blessing. It became most fully developed and widely spread in the Empire in the sixth century, under the rule of Justianian the Great. Iconography flourished through the Empire, as mosaics, wall paintings (frescoes), and panel (portable) icons. The emperor Constantine the Great relieved of all taxation the artists who made the mosaics for the churches. Iconography was given special attention and favor by the early Byzantine Empire. The beginnings of iconography can also be found in the catacomb paintings of the second and third centuries. He is also known to have painted icons of Saints Peter and Paul.

He brought his first icons to the Mother of God herself, who approved them and proclaimed: 'May the grace of Him Who was born of me, through me, be imparted to these icons.' There are at least five highly-venerated icons of the Virgin painted by Saint Luke which are still venerated today. He painted the holy image of the Virgin Mary on a panel, a face which he himself had seen. Referred to in the Eastern Christian tradition as 'windows into heaven,' they have inspired and uplifted millions of the faithful, and have at times been the instruments for demonstrating God's miraculous intercession in the life of mankind.Ĭhurch tradition teaches that the first iconographer was Saint Luke the Evangelist. ICONOGRAPHY IS THE ORIGINAL TRADITION of Christian sacred art, and has been an integral part of the worship and mystical life of Christians since apostolic times.

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Iconographer definition