About the Image: Fitted with two rings for suspension, a hook, and a hasp, this small icon can be closed and hung round one's neck as a token of piety and divine protection. Open, it can be used as a prayer image. Christ and two bishop saints, most probably Nicholas...
Details: The Christ Pantocrator in the Daphni Monastery is a mosaic dating back to 1080-1100[1], located in the main dome of the Church of Dormition in Daphni, Greece[2]. It was created by an anonymous 11th century Byzantine master mosaicist[3] and is thought to date from around 1100...
Details: Sts. Cosmas and Damian were two Arab physicians who were reputedly twin brothers and early Christian martyrs[1][2]. They were born in Arabia and had become eminent for their skill in the science of medicine[2]. The Greek Church celebrates the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian on...
Details: Walatta Petros (Ge'ez: ወለተ ጴጥሮስ; 1592 – 23 November 1642) was an Ethiopian female saint[1][2]. She is known for resisting conversion to Roman Catholicism because, unfortunately, at the time, the king of Ethiopia was attempting to forcibly convert his subjects from the Tewahedo Church to Roman Catholicism. It...
Details: Saint George is a popular figure in Ethiopian iconography, often appearing on horseback driving his lance or spear into the dragon he famously slew[1]. He is venerated as a Christian saint and is the patron saint of Ethiopia[2]. The Church of Saint George, known locally as Bete...
Details: This beautiful brass blessing cross comes from the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition and is used to bless individuals or objects. It is a stunning example of the country's distinctive art and craftsmanship. The cross is hand-held and features intricate latticework characteristic of Ethiopian style and workmanship. The exact provenance of...
Details: Coptic Christians are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The term "Coptic" refers to the ancient Egyptian language, which was spoken in Egypt until the end of the 17th century. The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest...
Details: This icon depicts an important subject in Orthodox Christian art, the three corresponding figures of the single godhead known as the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is represented here in a composition known as the “New Testament Trinity,” which features Christ and God the Father seated on a bench with...
Details: This small icon was worn around the neck to ward off evil; it could be hung with either side facing out. This is a small replica of the famous icon known as the "Kwerata Reesu" (Christ with the Crown of Thorns), believed to protect the whole kingdom of Ethiopia....
Details: This small icon was worn around the neck to ward off evil; it could be hung with either side facing out. This is a small replica of the famous icon known as the "Kwerata Reesu" (Christ with the Crown of Thorns), believed to protect the whole kingdom of Ethiopia....
Details: Andrei Rublev was born in the 1360s. He was a Muscovite icon painter and he was known as one of the greatest medieval icon painters. Rublev lived in Russia and decorated icons and frescos for many churches including the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Moscow Kremlin. He died...
Details: Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine) is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early fourth century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the...
Details: Created under King Yohannes (1667–1682) or King Iyyasu I (1682–1706), this manuscript in the First Gonderine style—with bold outlines and a rich palette—includes 32 painted scenes narrating the miracles performed by the Virgin Mary, a series intended to guide weekly devotion. These codified “Miracles of...
Details In the seventeenth century, Ethiopian artists were increasingly exposed to forms of expression from Europe. During this period, double-sided diptychs became popular among the nobility as pendant icons worn suspended by a cord around the neck. The subject matter depicted on this example is a standard program for this...
Details In the seventeenth century, Ethiopian artists were increasingly exposed to forms of expression from Europe. During this period, double-sided diptychs became popular among the nobility as pendant icons worn suspended by a cord around the neck. The subject matter depicted on this example is a standard program for this...
Details Although Orthodox Christianity has been practiced in the highlands of Ethiopia since the 4th century, this elaborate triptych is rendered in the courtly First Gonderine style, which flourished during the reign of King Iyyasu I (1682–1706) and incorporated bold, richly decorated forms and figures. With its central panel...
Details This illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels was created at a monastic center in northern Ethiopia. Twenty full-page paintings depict scenes from the life of Christ and four portraits of the evangelists introduce the respective Gospel texts. The New Testament was translated from Greek into Geez, the classical language...
🙏🏽Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to help keep this site free!Image Details Fyodor Evtikhievich Zubov (1615 – November 3, 1689), was a Russian painter, engraver, miniaturist and illuminator. Zubov was born in Solikamsk, a member of the noble Zubov family. He began working in Veliky Ustyug and...
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! Annunciation of Ustyug (Russian: Устюжское Благовещение) is a Russian Annunciation icon, created in Novgorod in the 12th century, and one of the few icons which survived the Mongol invasion of Rus'. The Annunciation of Ustyug is...
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! This is the oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, encaustic on panel (Saint Catherine's Monastery). The two different facial expressions on either side may emphasize Christ's two natures as fully God and fully human. This wooden...
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! Longinus (/ˌlɒnˈdʒaɪnəs/) is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity....
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! In Christian theology, the Harrowing of Hell (Latin: Descensus Christi ad Inferos, "the descent of Christ into Hell") is the descent of Jesus into Hell (or Hades), a period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus...
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! Monasticism is an important feature of Ethiopian Christianity that needs to be understood by people interested in the history and teaching of the local Orthodox Church. The sources suggest that, for Ethiopians, monasticism is a higher...
Please Subscribe or Donate [https://sdcason.com/donate] to Help Keep This Site Free! While Mary is most often depicted wearing a blue shawl, Ethiopian artists in the mid-16th century began painting the shawl red, a practice that related to their study of Cretan icons. The Ge'ez inscriptions found on...
