Icons are one of the most interesting phenomena in the culture of the Russian Middle Ages. Icons are always next to a person in difficult times. But the icon is not a talisman. There is nothing occult in this symbol, and at the same time, the icon is the door to the secret.
Background
The Institute of Iconography appeared in the Old Testament. In Christianity, or rather in the Orthodox faith, icons were initially treated with caution. But nevertheless, church images entered the life of most Russian people, and it is difficult to imagine a traditional Russian house without icons.
It is hardly possible to say about all the icons, there are a huge number of them, but in Orthodoxy there is a clear gradation of icons according to their succession.
First, let's deal with the "ranks". There are several types of holidays in the Church. These are the feasts of the Twelve Lords and the Theotokos. Great and saints.
The twelve are holidays, which in year 12. Each is dedicated to some event in the life of Christ and the Mother of God: Christmas, Ascension, Dormition, etc. The holiday of Easter stands apart. This is a separate celebration, which is not even included in the number of twelve annuals, but, as it were, over everyone. Each holiday has its own image.
The same applies to the Great Days and the memory of the saints. In the icon, as in photography, various events are “recorded”.
Symbolism
As Orthodoxy teaches, the icon shows the prototype of the one who is depicted on it. And when we worship icons, we honor the prototype, not the drawing.
Usually the icons we use are images of saints or angels. On some you can see several saints standing under the Protection of the Mother of God or the Savior.
So, let's start with the Lord's. They are Easter and Trinity. Easter icons show the Resurrection of Christ. And the real Orthodox icons of the Resurrection are the Descent into Hell. Because the Savior not only rose again, but resurrected everyone with Him and saved them from eternal torment. But there are also icons on which Christ is depicted with a banner in his hands.
Trinity icons - united icons of different holidays:
-The Epiphany, when Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, and the witnesses heard the voice of the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove;
-in fact, the Trinity - three Angels or the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles;
-Transfiguration, when Christ began to shine with an unusual light, brighter than the sun;
-Ascension, when Christ bodily ascended to heaven.
Nativity of Christ. There is also the Meeting of the Lord, when the holy Elder Simeon the God-Receiver received the baby Jesus from the hands of Mary. Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. In the 9th century, the Cross was found and placed for worship in Jerusalem.
Theotokos - icons depicting the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Introduction to the Temple, the Annunciation, the Assumption. The icons of the Great Feasts are images on which famous saints are depicted: Prince Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia, various icons of the Theotokos, etc.
Probably the most famous and demanded icons now are Kazan, Vladimir, Guardian Angel. Many people revere Bishop Luka of Crimea, a famous Soviet surgeon, a saint of our days. His relics are in the cathedral in Simferopol.
You can talk about Orthodox icons endlessly. The best option is to go to the temple and ask all your questions to the priest.
