The History of Orthodox Icons

Many people often visit ancient holy places for a ceremony or prayer to honor their Gods or for some other reason. They often marvel at their beauty and uniqueness, and not just to pray or worship. Greek Orthodox icons are especially interesting because they represent one of the most important icons in history, that of Jesus Christ. Greek Orthodox icons, as well as Roman Catholic icons are both icons of the cross. Not only do these icons have a place in the history of art, they also have a unique place in our modern world.

greek orthodox icons

In fact, the popularity of the Greek Orthodox icon has risen tremendously over the past few years and is up to about one hundred and fifty million images today. That is up from thirty-five million images in 2020. People are beginning to understand the symbolism behind the cross and how these symbols relate to God. It is interesting to note that it was the Greeks who created the first Christian icon, and that this early church icon is actually called the Holy Cross.

When you look at the various Greek Orthodox icons that you will see, you will quickly see that there are many different designs and themes for each individual icon. Some of them are much more stylized than others, which makes them all a bit more impressive than their smaller cousins. These larger and more stylized icons have often been referred to as the True Cross, or Byzantine cross. They represent much more than just a beautiful piece of art however, and they represent the history and legacy of Christianity.