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THIS ICON IS THE ARTIST'S INTERPRETATION OF SAINT PETER
Peter was a fisherman in Bethsaida. He was named Simon but also known as Simon Peter, son of Jonah or John. Peter became the first listed apostle ordained by Jesus in the early church. Originally a fisherman, he played a leadership role and was with Jesus during events witnessed by only a few apostles. The Roman Catholic Church considers him to be the first pope, ordained by Jesus in the “Rock of My Church”. In the course of this spiritual campaign, he came to witness the many miracles of the Master, such as the walking on water, the miracle of the loaves and fishes and many others. Christian churches venerate Peter as a major saint and associate him with the foundation of the church in Rome. Out of respect to one of his greatest disciples, the constant companion and beloved friend of Jesus Christ, Peter was given the keys to the kingdom of Heaven by the Messiah himself. His magnificent disciple, whom trust places at the gates of heaven to examine the credentials of those who would enter, had a master key which unlocked the hearts of men to admit the Savior, and his wisdom was the key to men’s minds which in turn admitted the intelligence to give meaning to the Christian faith. Peter struck out on his own in the missionary work of renewed dedication after the death of Jesus, but he favored Jerusalem and together with other followers of Christ assisted diligently in the formation of the Christian community in Jerusalem. Ultimately Peter established the first church in the ancient city of Antioch and became its first bishop. According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Caesar. It is told that he was upside down at his own request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus Christ. His mortal remains are contained in the underground Confessio of St. Peter’s Basilica. Every June 29th since 1736, a life-size statue of Saint Peter has been crowned in St. Peter’s Basilica with a papal tiara, ring of the fisherman, and papal vestments, as part of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. -
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THIS ICON IS THE ARTIST'S INTERPRETATION OF SAINT NICHOLAS
Born in Patara, land that is part of present-day Turkey, circa 280, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who helped the needy. After his death, the legend of his gift-giving grew. St. Nicholas transformed into the legendary character called Santa Claus, who brings Christmas presents to children around the world. St Nicholas was born around 280AD in Patara, Lycia, an area that is part of present-day Turkey. He lost both of his parents as a young man and reportedly used his inheritance to help the poor and sick. A devout Christian, he later served as bishop of Myra, a city that is now called Demre. There are many legends about St. Nicholas of Myra. One story tells how he helped three poor sisters. Their father did not have enough money to pay their dowries and thought of selling them into servitude. Three times, St Nicholas secretly went to their house at night and put a bag of money inside. The man used the money so that one of his daughters could marry. On the third visit, the man saw St. Nicholas and thanked him for his kindness. He also reportedly saved three men who were falsely imprisoned and sentenced to death. Several sources state St. Nicholas is believed to have died on December 6, 343AD. Over the years, stories of his miracles and work for the poor spread to other parts of the world. He became known as the protector of children and sailors and was associated with gift-giving. He was a popular saint in Europe until the time of the Reformation, a religious movement that led to the creation of Protestantism, which turned away from the practice of honoring saints. St. Nicholas, however, remained an important figure in Holland. The Dutch continued to celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas, December 6. It was a common practice for children to put out their shoes the night before. In the morning, they would discover the gifts that St. Nicholas had left there for them. Dutch immigrants brought St. Nicholas, known to them as Sint Nikolaas or by his nickname Sinterklaas, and his gift-giving ways to America in the 1700s. In America, St Nicholas went through many transformations and eventually Sinterklaas became Santa Claus. Instead of giving gifts on December 6. He became a part of the Christmas holiday. In the 1820 poem ”An Account of a Visit from St Nicholas” by Clement Clark Moore, he is described as a jolly, heavy man who comes down the chimney to leave presents for deserving children and drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. The cartoonist Thomas Nast added to the St. Nicholas legend with an 1881 drawing of Santa as wearing a red suit with white fur trim. Once a kind, charitable bishop, St Nicholas had become the Santa Claus we know today. -
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THIS ICON IS THE ARTIST'S INTERPRETATION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
Michael means “Who is like God”. Other spellings of Michael’s name include Mikhael, Mikael, Mikail, and Mikhail. Archangel Michael (also known as Saint Michael) is God’s top angel, leading all of the angels in heaven. Michael’s main characteristics are exceptional strength and courage. Michael fights for good to prevail over evil and empowers believers to set their faith in God on fire. Michael protects and defends people who love God. People often ask for Michael’s help to gain the courage they need to overcome their fears, obtain strength to resist temptations to sin and instead do what is right, and stay safe in dangerous situations. Many people believe that Michael works with guardian angels to communicate with dying people about faith, and to escort the souls of believers to heaven after they die. The Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches revere Michael as Saint Michael. He serves as the patron saint of people who work in dangerous conditions, such as military personnel, police and security officers, and paramedics. As a saint, Michael serves as a model of chivalry and boldly working for justice. In most art depictions Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword and shield in the style of a Byzantine officer. In Byzantine art Michael was often shown wearing the formal court robes and loros that were worn by the Emperor and his bodyguard on special occasions, rather than as a warrior who battled Satan or with scales for weighing souls on the Day of Judgement. -
THIS ICON IS THE ARTIST'S INTERPRETATION OF SAINT GEORGE
Many legends grew up about this Saint, but the most famous one is about his fight with the dragon. It happened when St. George was stationed with the Roman army Salone in Libya, North Africa. In that area a Dragon which was described as a huge crocodile with scaled wings, had eaten so many of the country folks around Salone that the remaining inhabitants fled to the town and took shelter behind its walls. There, the dragon was positioned outside the city gates, and nobody could get in or out. In order to keep the beast away from the walls, two sheep were tethered every day, some distance away. This worked well, until they ran out of sheep and the miserable people could not think of any other alternative but to sacrifice one child every day. One day the lot fell on the King's daughter, a girl of fourteen. The King, in his grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake dressed in her most splendid clothes, as if for her wedding. While she was waiting for the dragon, weeping, George the tribune came up mounted on his white horse. The King of Egypt had promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to any knight who could overcome the terrible dragon. In hearing the story, he decided to kill the dragon and put an end to the ongoing tragedy. "Fair girl" he said, "do not be afraid, for I will save your life with the aid of my word “Jesus Christ". When the dragon appeared George the hero engaged with the wild beast in a great combat. Finally, he managed to wound it so badly with his lance that it could fight no more. Now the two of them tied a rope around its neck, and dragged it to the town. There in the market place, in front of all the cheering inhabitants, George cut off its head. In celebration, the people of the whole town were baptized and became Christians. The above story seems to be exaggerated. However, because of its spiritual meaning, that St. George defeated the devil by the Cross and his righteousness in Christ, it became popular the world over. -
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MOTHER AND CHILD
This Icon is the artist’s interpretation of Mother Mary with her child Jesus A Madonna is a representation of Mary either alone or with her Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic & Orthodox churches. The word is from Italian Madonna, meaning “ my lady”. On this Icon, Mary looks directly at us, yet with her hand she directs us to the Infant she is holding. The Infant is identified to us as Jesus Christ. While Mary may be referred to as “the Madonna” in art the term is applied specifically to an artwork in which Mary, with or without the infant Jesus, is the focus, and central figure of the picture. For over a thousand years, through the Byzantine, Medieval and Early Renaissance periods the Madonna (Mother) was the most often produced pictorial artwork. Many specific images of the Madonna, both painted and sculptured, have achieved fame, either as objects of religious veneration or for their intrinsic artistic qualities. Many of the most renowned painters and sculptors in the history of art have turned their skills toward the creation of Madonna images. These artists include Duccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Salvador Dali and Henry Moore. The Madonna is a type of image that dates from the Byzantine period and was used widely in Medieval and Renaissance times. These representations of the Madonna and Child often take the form of large altarpieces. They also occur as frescoes and apsidal mosaics. The artwork is copyright ownership and patented design. All rights reserved. -
JESUS
This Icon is the artist’s interpretation of Jesus Christ Jesus was born and grew up in Nazareth, a small village in Galilee. Jesus’ father was a carpenter and he became one, too. Jesus was raised Jewish and he remained deeply Jewish most of his life. He left Nazareth as an adult, met the prophet John and was baptized by John, during his baptism; Jesus likely experienced some sort of divine vision. Afterwards, Jesus began his public preaching/teachings in his thirties with the message that the world could be transformed into a “Kingdom of God.” Despite trying to keep a low profile, Jesus’ reputation spread nationwide. He became a noted healer, teacher and prophet. More healing stories are told about Jesus than about any other figure in the Jewish tradition. Claimed he was “the Son of God”, Lord attracting a lot of attention. Especially the religious leaders. The Roman governors and rulers of Israel’s provenances and the leaders of the Jewish people (the religious counsels) took note of him. Eventually, arrested, put on trial, and executed for blasphemy. Although, could not find any decent faults in Him to put Him to death. He was put to death by crucifixion by the Roman imperial authority - Roman imperial authority in collaboration with high-ranking priestly authority. He was killed by the powers that ruled his world. The artwork is copyright ownership and patented design. All rights reserved -
JESUS WITH BIBLE
This Icon is the artist’s interpretation of Jesus with the Bible Around Christ’s head is a halo, and almost universal symbol of holiness. Inside of Christ’s halo is the Cross – the Cross of Salvation – although only three arms are visible; the three arms make up a Holy Trinity. Upon the three arms are the Greek letters (omega, omicron, nu) which literally means “the being” or “He who is”. To any Orthodox or Catholic Christian, Jesus’ right hand is shown as being raised to give a blessing. The arrangement of the hand, the fingers spell out the four-letter Christo-gram “IC XC”’. The three fingers of Christ as well as spelling out “I” and “X” declare the Tri-unity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The touching finger and thumb of Jesus not only spell out “C” representing the incarnation to join the divine. The book held in Christ’s left hand is adorned with the cross, identifying it as the Gospels.Jesus is shown wearing a red robe. The red symbolizes divinity, whilst the green/blue symbolizes humanity. Thus Jesus Christ is by nature divine. Finally, there are two angels to the right and left of Christ. The Angels are heralds of God. The artwork is copyright ownership and patented design. All rights reserved.
