The icon corner should have icons of Christ and the Theotokos ....

The first thing that should be done when an Orthodox Christian family moves into a new apartment or house is to determine which eastern wall or corner can be turned into the icon corner. This should not be a non-conspicuous place where the icons will be hidden from people's eyes, rather it should be a very prominent spot which all can see.



The icon corner should have icons of Christ and the Theotokos as well as icons of the saints for whom the family has particular devotion. Many times an Orthodox family chooses a particular saint to whom they wish to dedicate their family church, and place it under his or her protection. The icons in the icon corner of a family church dedicated to a saint will, of course, have an icon of the saint together with those of Christ and the Theotokos.

The icon corner will either have a small table or a shelf upon which may be placed prayer books, a hand censer, a bottle of holy water, a blessing-cross, the candles that the husband and wife held at their wedding, holy oil, palm branches and sometimes other religious objects. In front of the icons an oil lamp should perpetually burn.



Some families burn wax votive candles before the icons; however, the tradition is to burn olive oil. Electric lights are not appropriate for use as the light to burn before icons. The traditional oil lamps require an amount of attention which electricity does not, thereby directing our physical services and thoughts to God several times a day when we are required to trim the wick and refill the lamp with oil.

The use of pure olive oil may be objected to because of its high cost; however, God is beneficent to those who think first of spiritual matters and then of themselves. A family with which I am familiar had a multitude of problems, one of which was not enough money to purchase food.



The head of the family placed the household under the protection of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.



As an offering of faith and love, the family's head promised that the lamp in the icon corner would burn only pure olive oil and that it would be allowed to go out only after there was no more food on the table and no money to buy either olive oil or food.



Because of the strong faith shown by the family head, the Theotokos has miraculously provided the family with enough money to purchase both olive oil and food for months on end.

Why are vigil lamps lit before icons? ( Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich )

 1. Because our faith is light. Christ said: I am the light of the world (John 8:12). The light of the vigil lamp reminds us of that light by which Christ illumines our souls.

2. In order to remind us of the radiant character of the saint before whose icon we light the vigil lamp, for saints are called sons of light (John 12:36, Luke 16:8).

3. In order to serve as a reproach to us for our dark deeds, for our evil thoughts and desires, and in order to call us to the path of evangelical light; and so that we would more zealously try to fulfill the commandments of the Saviour: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works" (Matt. 5:16).

4. So that the vigil lamp would be our small sacrifice to God, Who gave Himself completely as a sacrifice for us, and as a small sign of our great gratitude and radiant love for Him from Whom we ask in prayer for life, and health, and salvation and everything that only boundless heavenly love can bestow.

5. So that terror would strike the evil powers who sometimes assail us even at the time of prayer and lead away our thoughts from the Creator. The evil powers love the darkness and tremble at every light, especially at that which belongs to God and to those who please Him.

6. So that this light would rouse us to selflessness. Just as the oil and wick burn in the vigil lamp, submissive to our will, so let our souls also burn with the flame of love in all our sufferings, always being submissive to God's will.

7. In order to teach us that just as the vigil lamp cannot be lit without our hand, so too, our heart, our inward vigil lamp, cannot be lit without the holy fire of God's grace, even if it were to be filled with all the virtues. All these virtues of ours are, after all, like combustible material, but the fire which ignites them proceeds from God.

8. In order to remind us that before anything else the Creator of the world created light, and after that everything else in order: And God said, let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3). And it must be so also at the beginning of our spiritual life, so that before anything else the light of Christ's truth would shine within us. From this light of Christ's truth subsequently every good is created, springs up and grows in us.

May the Light of Christ illumine you as well!



http://www.russianorthodox-stl.org/vigil_lamps.html

What is an icon ( Anthony Bloom (Metropolitan of Sourozh )

An icon is an image, but an image which is meant to be a statement of faith. It is a statement of faith in line and colour as definite, as completely rooted in the faith and experience of the Orthodox Church as any written statement and in that respect icons must correspond to the experience of the total community, and the artist who paints them is only a hand, only one who puts into line and colour what is the faith and the knowledge of the Christian body in the same way in which a theologian is the expression of his Church, and the Church has a right to judge him. That explains why one of the rules given to icon-painters when they learn their trade is that they should neither copy slavishly an icon painted before them, nor invent an icon. Because one can not identify slavishly with the spiritual experience expressed by another person, on the other hand, one cannot invent a spiritual experience and present it as though it was the faith of the Church.

Now, an icon is a proclamation of faith primarily, in the sense that an icon of Christ, an icon of the Mother of God or of saints is possible only since the Incarnation because they all relate to the Incarnation and its consequences. The Old Testament taught us that God can not be represented because indeed, the God of the Old Testament was the Holy One of Israel, He was a spiritual Being that has revealed Himself but had never been visibly present face to face with anyone. You remember the story of Moses on Sinai when he asked God to allow him to see Him and the Lord answered, “No man can see My face and live.” And He allowed Moses to see Him moving away from him, as it were, from the back but never meet Him face to face. It is in Incarnation, through the historical fact that God became man, that God acquired a human face and that it became possible by representing Christ, the incarnate God to represent indirectly God Himself.

Now, there is one thing which is absolutely clear to all of us is that no-one knows what Christ looked like. So an icon is never meant to be a portrait, it is meant to convey an experience and this is different. The difference between, perhaps I should have used the word “snapshot” rather than “portrait”, any attempt at saying, “this is what Christ looked like” is fantasy. We have no likeness of Christ, but what we know is that from the experience of the Church and of the saints, Who He was and this “Who He was” can be expressed in line and in colour. And this is why so many icons do not aim at beauty, at comeliness, we do not try to represent Christ in the Orthodox tradition as the most beautiful, virile man whom we can imagine. We do not try to represent the Mother of God as the most comely and attractive young woman, what we try to represent or to convey through the icon is something about their inner self.

And this explains why certain features in an icon are underlined out of proportion while other features are just indicated. If you look at an icon, a good icon, not the kind of thing which you find commonly, say in Russian or in Greek churches, but icons painted by the great painters of Orthodoxy, you find that certain things are singled out — the brow, the eyes that convey a message, while the cheeks or the mouth are just indicated as common features. And the aim of an icon is not to present you with a likeness of the person but with the message, to present you with a face that speaks to you in the same way in which a portrait is different from a snapshot. A snapshot is a very adequate image of the person photographed at a given moment. It’s exactly what at that given moment the person was, but it leaves out very often most of the personality of this particular person, while a good portrait is painted in the course of many sittings that allow the artist to look deeply into the face of a person, to single out features, which are fluid, which change, which move but which, each of them, express something of the personality. And so that the portrait is something much more composite, much more rich and much more adequate to the total personality than a snapshot would be although at no moment was this particular face exactly as the painter has represented it on the portrait. It is not an attempt at having a snapshot in colour but of conveying a vision of what a person is.

Now, this being said, we treat icons with reverence, and number of people in the West think that to us icons are very much what idols were in older times for pagan nations. They aren’t. They are not idols because they do not purport or even attempt at giving an adequate picture of the person concerned. This I have already mentioned abundantly but I will add this. Whether it is in words, in theological statements, in doctrinal statements, in the creeds, in the prayers and the hymns of the Churches, no attempt is ever made in the Orthodox Church at expressing, at giving a cogent, a complete image of what God is. Already in the IV century St. Gregory of Nazianze wrote that if we attempted to collect from the Old Testament, from the New Testament, from the experience of the Church, from the personal lives of saints their sayings and their writings, all the features which reveal to us what and who God is and try to build out of them a completely coherent, a complete picture of God, what we would have achieved is not a picture of God, it would be an idol because it would be on our scale, it would be as small as we are indeed, smaller than we are because it could be contained in our vision, in our understanding.

If we want to understand what a theological statement is — and that applies not only to written statements but also to icons, I should think the nearest approximation would be to say that theological statement either in words or in lines, or colours, or indeed in music, or in the pageant which the liturgical service is, is very much like the sky at night. What is characteristic of the sky at night is that we see against the darkness of the sky, the translucent darkness of the sky, we see stars, which are combined in constellations. These stars are points of light and these constellations are recognisable, so that by looking at the sky at night we can find our way on earth; but what is important in the sky at night is all these stars are separate from one another by vast spaces. If you collected all the stars in one place, you would indeed have in front of you a glowing mass of fire but you would have no pointer to any direction, you would be unable to find your way not only in heaven but also on earth. What is important is the vastness between the stars and so are also the statements which are being made theologically, again in word or in line, in colour. They give us a glimpse and they leave a vast space into which we must penetrate in silence, in veneration. And the silence and veneration which is paid to them, I think, can be well expressed by the word “mystery”.

I know that in colloquial language “mystery” is something mysterious, something which is secrete, hidden and should be unveiled and seen through. The Greek word “mystery” comes from a verb “muen”, which means “to be spell-bound”, to be held absolutely mute in silence because of the deep impression something makes on us. It has given the French word “muet” which means “dumb”. Confronted with the overwhelming sense of the divine presence all we can do is to bow down in adoration. We are silenced in mind, in emotion, we become totally receptive and not passive but actively receptive. If I was to give an image, I would say our attitude at those moments is that of the bird-watcher. You know what happens to the bird-watcher. He gets up early in the morning before the birds are awake, goes into the wood, goes into the field, settles down and then he remains intensely alert at the same time as he is totally immobile because if he budges, he moves, if he doesn’t become part of the background, the birds will have disappeared long before he has noticed them. And so the attitude of the bird-watcher is this intense alertness that combines a total liveliness with a total stillness. This is what one could call the attitude of a believer has with regard to the mystery of God and also with regard to any statement, any expression that conveys God or things divine to us. We look at things in silence in order to receive a message and the deeper the silence, the more perfect the silence, the more completely and perfectly the message can reach us.

Obviously, when we look at an icon, we may discover that it has got features, which we apprehend or analyse intellectually. When it is a face, the impact may be more direct but when it is a scene, like an icon of Christmas, an icon of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, an icon of the Crucifixion, there are features, which we can examine with our eyes and take in with our mind, but once it is done, we are confronted with something which is an object of contemplation. And I’ll give you an example or two.

The first example I wish to give you is an icon of the Mother of God which probably no-one of you has seen. It is in the South of Russia, there are very few reproductions because it is not considered as being one of the great and beautiful and classical icons of Orthodox Christendom. What it represents is – against a darkish background, the face of what I would call a peasant young Woman, square face with a parting in the middle, her hair falling on her shoulders, without a veil and looking straight not at you, as most icons do, but simply straight ahead into the vastness, into eternity, into infinity, — you must find out into what. And then the second thing you notice is that in front of Her chest there are two hands in agony clasped in pain and anguish. And when you ask yourself, why is this young Woman dishevelled, why has She lost her veil, why is Her hair falling like this? Why is this fixed gaze and this agonised hands? And you look at the icon, you see in a corner of this icon painted in very pale yellow colour the Cross, a Cross without a body. It is the Mother of God who is confronted with the death of Christ, not the dying, not the mystery of Her own offering of Her Son to God and to men but of His being dead, of the seeming defeat, of the end of all Her hopes, of the serene pain of Her heart.

This is one example, but once you have analysed these elements, looked at the face, asked yourself, what do these eyes see and seen it in the corner of the icon what do these hands speak about and understood, then you are confronted with the same thing, which confronts the Mother, – with the Crucifixion, with the love of God revealed as life and death, with the love of God, which says to us, “What you, — each of us singly, not the collectivity of mankind, each of us singly — means to Me can be measured by all the life and all the death of the Only-Begotten Son of God become man through the Incarnation born of the Virgin, crucified on Calvary after the tragic week of the passion.” So at that moment the icon is no longer a story, it is a direct challenge, a confrontation with an event to which we can respond by adoration, by conversion, by a change in us, by prayer in the vastest possible sense of this word. Not by repeating words of prayer, not by doing what a boy of our congregation, when he was seven, said to his mother, “Now that we have finished prayering, could we pray a little?” — which mean:, now that we have said all these words which are written in the book, which I can’t read yet but which you rehearse to me very evening, can’t I stay before God and tell Him that I am sorry for one thing or another, that I love Him, that I am happy and then say “Good night” and send a kiss to the icon which is too high for me to kiss...

The other example which I wanted to give is that of an icon of the Incarnation, a Christmas icon — a mountain, a cave, in one corner the Angels singing to the shepherds, on the other hand, the three kings travelling, in another corner Joseph sitting and being tempted by Satan who whispers to him that there is there something quite wrong in the whole situation, and then the Mother of God and the Child. But this icon, of which I am thinking in particular, does not show us the Child in the manger. It’s not the classical half emotional picture, which we see so often. Instead of the manger there is in pink stone an altar of sacrifice and the Child lying on it. And this icon is a theological statement not only about the Incarnation as the divine act that made God immanent in the world that the world may be saved, it speaks to us of the fact that the Son of God became Son of man in order to die, that His birth was the beginning of entering a world of suffering, of pain, of rejection and of death. And once we have discovered that the mountain matters nothing, that the shepherds and the kings, that Joseph and his tempter are features of the past that has simply brought the message to us, we are confronted with the central event – God has become man and by becoming man He has accepted to become helpless, vulnerable and enter into the realm of suffering and death. And then we are confronted with a God Whom we can worship in a new way, not a God Whom we worship in the great cathedrals because of the unsurpassed beauty He represents, not the All-Mighty one but the God Who has chosen to become one of us, frail, unprotected, helpless, given to us, and we see what mankind has done to this God, who had taken full responsibility for His creative act by dying of it and of its consequences.

So this leads me to the last point, which is obviously very short. Confronted with an icon, we receive a message and this message is always exactly as a passage of the Gospel is or a prayer written by a saint is, is a challenge for us – how do you respond to what you see, what do you do? Who are you in relation to this event, to this person, to this face, to this particular experience of the Church of God, of the Mother of God, of the saints of God, of the martyrs, of the Apostles and so forth. And this is the beginning of an act of prayer. Now, we treat icons with veneration not because they are beautiful and not even because they convey an essential message but because somehow we are aware of the fact that they are connected with the person represented on them and the event. I will give you one more of those flat analogies which are natural to me.

We don’t treat an icon as an idol but we treat it exactly in the way in which you would treat the photograph of someone whom you love dearly. It may be your departed parents, it may be your parents alive, it may be the girl or the boy whom you love with all your heart. You look at these photographs and you do not imagine that they are the person, you do not worship them but there are things which you would do and things which you would not do to them. If you have the photograph of someone whom you love with your whole heart alive or departed, you will not simply take your teacup and plant it on top of it because it is the best way of protecting the table. And you will be probably foolish enough at a moment when there is no-one who looks at you to take the photograph and give it a kiss. Well, it’s exactly what we do about icons. We give them a kiss, we are less shy and we do it publicly, but we do it because they are the only way in which we can kiss the person who is absent in a way, who is present in spirit, yes, whose image is there being like a window, like a link, like a connection with this person.

And our praying to icons is not praying to the wood or to the paint or even to the scene or the face represented. All these things become transparent in the way in which the photograph is transparent to us because it is the person whom we perceive, whom we see, whom we love, whom we treat with tenderness and reverence when we hold a photograph of a beloved person. And our praying to the icon is a praying that reaches through the icon. It may be a help to us because it is not everyone of us who is capable of shutting his eyes, abstracting himself or herself from all surrounding and feeling that he is or she is in the presence of God, and there is nothing between God and him, there is nothing that he needs to connect him with God. But ultimately we must come to the point when having looked at an icon, receive its message, received indeed its challenge, its call, we must be able to shut our eyes and be in the presence of God Himself and the saint who is represented in it. And this is what St. John Chrysostom says in one of his sermons. He says to us, “If you want to pray, take your stand in front of your icons, then shut your eyes and pray.”

Apparently, what’s the point of having icons if you shut your eyes and don’t look at them? The point is that you have taken one look and this look must have awoken you, you must have had one look and be alive to all the message and all the challenge that it has and now you must be free from the particular elements of this icon and be able to pray, to sing to God.

And I will end by an example, by an image, which is not properly of an icon but which convey to you probably better than I can this idea of our whole self beginning to sing and to respond. I was nineteen then. and I was reading together with an old deacon in one of the small churches in Paris. He was very old, he had lost all his teeth with age and the result was that when he read and sang, it was not as clear as one might have hoped for, and to add insult to injury, he read and sang with a velocity that defeated me, my eyes could not follow the lines. And when we finished the service, being as arrogant as one may be, some may be at nineteen, I said to him, “Fr. Evfimiy, you have robbed me of all the service with your reading and singing so fast. And what is worse, you have robbed yourself of it, I am sure, because I am sure, you couldn’t understand a word of what you were saying.” And so the old man looked at me (I don’t know why but he liked me) and he said to me, “O, I am so sorry, but you know, I was born in a very-very poor family in a very poor village of Russia, my parents were not in a position to keep me because they were too poor to feed me, so they gave away at the age of seven to a neighbouring monastery where they fed me, they gave me education, they taught me to read and to sing, and I never left the monastery until the revolution. And I have been reading these words and singing these words day in, day out, day in, day out for all my life. And now, you know what happens? When I see words, it is as though a hand was touching a string in my soul, and my soul begins to sing as though I was a harp, which is being touched by a hand. I don’t cling to the word. You still need it, but for me seeing it or seeing the notes is enough. I begin to sing with all my being.”

Well, this is what we should become when we can look at an icon and immediately receive the impact of it, so that our whole being begins to sing and sing and sing to God in whatever tune. It may be repentance, it may be joy, it may be gratitude, it may be intercession, it does not mean anything, what means something, which is essential is that we should sing to God as a harp sings under the hand that has touched it.

The Holy Icons

One of the first things that strikes a non-Orthodox visitor to an Orthodox church is the prominent place assigned to the Holy Icons. The Iconostasis (Icon-screen) dividing the Altar from the rest of the church is covered with them, while others are placed in prominent places throughout the church building. Sometimes even the walls and ceiling are covered with them in fresco or mosaic form. The Orthodox faithful prostrate themselves before them, kiss them, and burn can-dles before them. They are censed by the Priest and carried in processions. Considering the ob-vious importance of the Holy Icons, then, questions may certainly be raised concerning them: What do these gestures and actions mean? What is the significance of these Icons? Are they not idols or the like, prohibited by the Old Testament?




Some of the answers to these questions can be found in the writings of St. John of Da-mascus (f776), who wrote in the Mid-Eighth Century at the height of the iconoclast (anti-icon) controversies in the Church, controversies which were resolved only by the 7th Ecumenical Council (787), which borrowed heavily from these writings.

As St. John points out, in ancient times God, being incorporeal and uncircumscribed, was never depicted, since it is impossible to represent that which is immaterial, has no shape, is inde-scribable and is unencompassable. Holy Scripture states categorically: No one has ever seen God (John 1:18) and You cannot see My [God's] face, for man shall not see Me and live (Ex. 33:20). The Lord forbade the Hebrews to fashion any likeness of the Godhead, saying: I7ou shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Ex. 20:4). Consequently, the Holy Apostle Paul also asserts: Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man (Acts 17:29).

Nonetheless, we know that Icons have been used for prayer from the first centuries of Christianity. Church Tradition tells us, for example, of the existence of an Icon of the Savior dur-ing His lifetime (the “Icon-Made-Without-Hands”) and of Icons of the Most-Holy Theotokos immediately after Him. Tradition witnesses that the Orthodox Church had a clear understanding of the importance of Icons right from the beginning; and this understanding never changed, for it is derived from the teachings concerning the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trini-ty — Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The use of Icons is grounded in the very essence of Christianity, since Christianity is the revelation by the God-Man not only of the Word of God, but also of the Image of God; for, as St. John the Evangelist tells us, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

No one has ever seen God; the only Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known (John 1:18), the Evangelist proclaims. That is, He has revealed the Image or Icon of God. For being the brightness of [God's] glory, and the express image of [God's] person (Heb. 1:3), the Word of God in the Incarnation revealed to the world, in His own Divinity, the Image of the Father. When St. Philip asks Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, He answered him: Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:8, 9). Thus as the Son is in the bosom of the Father, likewise after the Incarnation He is consubstantial with the Father, according to His divinity being the Father’s Image, equal in honor to Him.

The truth expressed above, which is revealed in Christianity, thus forms the foundations of Christian pictorial art. The Image (or Icon) not only does not contradict the essence of Chris-tianity, but is unfailingly connected with it; and this is the foundation of the tradition that from the very beginning the Good News was brought to the world by the Church both in word and in image. This truth was so self-evident, that Icons found their natural place in the Church, despite the Old Testament prohibition against them and a certain amount of contemporary opposition.

St. John Damascene further tells us that because the Word became flesh (John 1:14), we are no longer in our infancy; we have grown up, we have been given by God the power of dis-crimination and we know what can be depicted and what is indescribable. Since He Who was incorporeal, without form, quantity and magnitude, Who was incomparable owing to the supe-riority of His nature, Who existed in the image of God assumed the form of a servant and ap-peared to us in the flesh, we can portray Him and reproduce for contemplation Him Who has condescended to be seen.

We can portray His ineffable descent, His Nativity from the Blessed Virgin, His Baptism in the Jordan, His Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, His sufferings, death and miracles. We can de-pict the Cross of Salvation, the Sepulcher, the Resurrection and the Ascension, both in words and in colors. We can confidently represent God the Invisible — not as an invisible being, but as one Who has made Himself visible for our sake by sharing in our flesh and blood.

As the Holy Apostle Paul says: Ever since the creation of the world [God's] invisible na-ture, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Rom. 1:20). Thus, in all creatures we see images that give us a dim insight into Divine Revelation — when, for instance, we say that the Holy Trinity Without Beginning can be represented by the sun, light and the ray, or by the mind, the word and the spirit that is within us, or by the plant, the flower and the scent of the rose.

Thus, what had only been a shadow in the Old Testament is now clearly seen. The Coun-cil in Trullo (691-2), in its 82nd Rule, stated:

Certain holy icons have the image of a lamb, at which is pointing the finger of the Forerunner. This lamb is taken as the image of grace, representing the True Lamb, Christ our God, Whom the law foreshadowed. Thus accepting with love the ancient images and shadows as prefigurations and symbols of truth transmit-ted to the Church, we prefer grace and truth, receiving it as the fulfillment of the law. Thus, in order to make plain this fulfillment for all eyes to see, if only by means of pictures, we ordain that from henceforth icons should represent, instead of the lamb of old, the human image of the Lamb, Who has taken upon Himself the sins of the world, Christ our God, so that through this we may perceive the height of the ab-asement of God the Word and be led to remember His life in the flesh, His Passion and death for our salva-tion and the ensuing redemption of the world.

The Orthodox Church, then, created a new art, new in form and content, which uses images and forms drawn from the material world to transmit the revelation of the divine world, making the divine accessible to human understanding and contemplation. This art developed side by side with the Divine Services and, like the Services, expresses the teaching of the Church in confor-mity with the word of Holy Scripture. Following the teachings of the 7th Ecumenical Council, the Icon is seen not as simple art, but that there is a complete correspondence of the Icon to Holy Scripture, “for if the [Icon] is shown by [Holy Scripture], [Holy Scripture] is made incontestably clear by the [Icon] [Acts of the 7th Ecumenical Council, 6].

As the word of Holy Scripture is an image, so the image is also a word, for, according to St. Basil the Great (f379), “what the word transmits through the ear, that painting silently shows through the image” [Discourse 19, On the 40 Martyrs]. In other words, the Icon contains and professes the same truth as the Gospels and therefore, like the Gospels, is based on exact data, and is not a human invention, for if it were otherwise, Icons could not explain the Gospels nor correspond to them.

By depicting the divine, we are not making ourselves similar to idolaters; for it is not the material symbol that we are worshipping, but the Creator, Who became corporeal for our sake and assumed our body in order that through it He might save mankind. We also venerate the ma-terial objects through which our salvation is effected — the blessed wood of the Cross, the Holy Gospel, and, above all, the Most-Pure Body and Precious Blood of Christ, which have grace-bestowing properties and Divine Power.

As St. John Damascene asserts: “I do not worship matter but I worship the Creator of matter, Who for my sake became material and deigned to dwell in matter, Who through matter effected my salvation. I will not cease from worshipping the matter through which my salvation has been effected” [On Icons, 1,16]. Following his teachings, we, as Orthodox Christians, do not venerate an Icon of Christ because of the nature of the wood or the paint, but rather we venerate the inanimate image of Christ with the intention of worshipping Christ Himself as God Incarnate through it.

We kiss an Icon of the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of the Son of God, just as we kiss the Icons of the Saints as God’s friends who fought against sin, imitated Christ by shedding their blood for Him and followed in His footsteps. Saints are venerated as those who were glorified by God and who became, with God’s help, terrible to the Enemy, and benefactors to those advancing in the faith — but not as gods and benefactors themselves; rather they were the slaves and servants of God who were given boldness of spirit in return for their love of Him. We gaze on the depiction of their exploits and sufferings so as to sanctify ourselves through them and to spur ourselves on to zealous emulation.

The Icons of the Saints act as a meeting point between the living members of the Church [Militant] on earth and the Saints who have passed on to the Church [Triumphant] in Heaven. The Saints depicted on the Icons are not remote, legendary figures from the past, but contempo-rary, personal friends. As meeting points between Heaven and earth, the Icons of Christ, His Mother, the Angels and Saints constantly remind the faithful of the invisible presence of the whole company of Heaven; they visibly express the idea of Heaven on earth.

In venerating the Icons, then, the Orthodox are championing the basis of Christian faith — the Incarnation of God — and, consequently, salvation and the very meaning of the Church’s existence on earth, since the creation of the Holy Icons goes back to the very origins of Chris-tianity and is an inalienable part of the truth revealed by God, founded as it is on the person of the God-Man Jesus Christ Himself. Holy Images are part of the nature of Christianity and with-out the Icon Christianity would cease to be Christianity. The Holy Gospel summons us to live in Christ, but it is the Icon that shows us this life.

If God became man in order that man might be like God, the Icon, in full accord with di-vine worship and theology, bears witness to the fruits of the Incarnation and to the sanctity and deification of man. It shows him in the fullness of his earthly nature, purified of sin and partak-ing of the life of God, testifies to the sanctification of the human body and displays to the world the image of man who is similar to God by grace. The Icon outwardly expresses the sanctity of the depicted Saint, and this sanctity is apparent to bodily vision.

Thus, according to St. John Damascene, those who refuse to venerate an Icon also refuse to worship God’s Son, Who is the living image and unchanging reflection of God the Invisible. Be it known, he says, that anyone who seeks to destroy the Icons of Christ or His Mother, the Blessed Theotokos, or any of the Saints, is the enemy of Christ, the Holy Mother of God, and the Saints, and is the defender of the Devil and his demons.

Image Not-Made-by-Hands.

One of the earliest Icons witnessed to by Church Tradition, is the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands. According to Tradition, during the time of the earthly ministry of the Savior, Abgar ruled in the Syrian city of Edessa. He was afflicted with leprosy over his whole body. At this time report of the great miracles performed by the Lord extended throughout Syria (Matt. 4:24) and as far as Arabia. Although not having seen the Lord, Abgar believed in Him as the Son of God and wrote a letter requesting Him to come and heal him. With this letter he sent to Pales-tine his court-painter Ananias, entrusting him to paint an image of the Divine Teacher.

Ananias went to Jerusalem and saw the Lord surrounded by people. He was not able logo to Him because of the great throng of people listening to His preaching; so he stood on a huge rock and attempted to produce a painting of the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, unable, however, to succeed. The Savior Himself called him by name and gave for Abgar a beautiful letter in which,’ having glorified the faith of the ruler, He promised to send His disciple in order to heal him from the leprosy and instruct him in salvation.

After this, the Lord called for water and a towel. He wiped His face, rubbing with the to-wel, and on it was impressed His Divine Image. The towel and the letter the Savior sent with Ananias to Edessa. With thanksgiving Abgar received the sacred object and received healing, but a small portion, only a trace, remained of the terrible disease on his face until the arrival of the promised Disciple of the Lord.

The Apostle of the 70, Thaddeus, came to them and preached the Gospel, baptizing the believing Abgar and all living in Edessa. Having written on the Image Not-Made-By-Hands the words, “Christ-God, everyone trusting in Thee will not be put to shame,” Abgar adorned it and placed it in a niche over the city gates.

For many years the inhabitants preserved a pious custom of venerating the Image Not-Made-By-Hands whenever passing through the gates. But a great-grandson of Abgar, ruling Edessa, fell into idolatry and resolved to take the Image away from the city walls. In a vision, the Lord ordered the Bishop of Edessa to conceal His Image. The Bishop, coming at night with his clergy, lit before the Image a lampada and then blocked up the niche with clay tablets and bricks.

Many years passed by and the inhabitants forgot about the Holy Object. But then, when in 545 the Persian King Chroses I besieged Edessa, the position of the city seemed hopeless. But the Most-Holy Sovereign Lady manifested Herself to Bishop Evlavios and commanded him to get from the enclosed niche the Image with which to save the city from the adversaries. Disman-tling the niche, the Bishop found the Holy Image; before it burned the lampada and on the clay tablets, with which the niche had been enclosed, was a similar image. After preceding with the Cross and the Image Not-Made-By-Hands around the walls of the city, the Persian army miracu-lously departed.

In 630, Edessa was seized by the Arabs; but they did not impede veneration of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands, glory of which extended out into all the East. In 944 the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912-59) requested that the Image be redeemed from the Emir — the ruler of the city of Edessa — and brought to the Capital of the Orthodox. With great honor the Image of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands and the letter which He wrote to Abgar, were brought by the clergy to Constantinople. On Aug. 16 the Image of the Savior was placed in the Pharos Church of the Most-Holy Theotokos.

Concerning the subsequent fate of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands, there exists several traditions. According to one, it was carried away by Crusaders during the time of their dominion over Constantinople (1204-61), but the ship on which the Holy Objects had been taken, sank in the Sea of Marmora. According to another, the Image Not-Made-By-Hands was taken about 1362 to Genoa, where it was presented to and preserved in a monastery dedicated to the Apostle Bartholomew.

In the time of the iconoclastic heresy, the defenders of icon-veneration, shedding their blood for the Holy Icons, sang the Troparion to the Image Not-Made-By-Hands. The Image (the Holy Face) was put up as an emblem of the Russian armies, defending them from the enemy; and in the Russian Orthodox Church there is a pious custom that before entering a church, the faith-ful read together the prayers and the Troparion to the Image Not-Made-By-Hands. The Feast of this Icon is celebrated on Aug. 16, during the Afterfeast period of the Feast of the Dormition, and is popularly called the Third Feast-of-the-Savior in August.

How To Set Up An Icon Corner at Home

Quantity and quality are two different things. It would be naive to assume that the more sacred images there are in an Orthodox Christian’s home, the more pious his life. A disorganized collection of icons, reproductions, and religious wall calendars covering a significant amount of living space can often have a contrary effect on one’s spiritual life.

A poorly thought-out collection of icons can turn into something simple and meaningless, in which the prayerful purpose of the icon has no place whatsoever.

Nonetheless, it is essential to have icons in one’s home in sufficient numbers, but within reasonable limits.

In the past, whether on a farm or in the city, every Orthodox family’s home would always have a shelf with icons, or an entire home iconostasis, located in the most visible place. The place where the icons were installed was known as the front corner, the beautiful corner, the holy corner, God’s place, or the kiot.

For Orthodox Christians, an icon is not just a depiction of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, the Saints, or events from Sacred and Church History. An icon is a sacred image, i.e., it is outside the realm of ordinary reality; it is not to be confused with ordinary daily life; and it is intended only for communion with God. Thus, the primary purpose of icons is prayer. An icon is a window from our world, the earthly world, into the world above. It is God’s revelation in form and color.

In this way, an icon is not simply a family relic to be passed on from generation to generation, but a holy thing that unites all family members during communal prayer – for prayer in common can take place only if those standing before the icons have mutually forgiven one another’s offenses and achieved unity.

Today, of course, when the television set ­– which is itself a kind of a window into the motley world of human passions – has taken the place of icons in the home, the purpose of the family icon, the tradition of common prayer at home, and the consciousness of the family as the “little Church” have been lost.

Therefore, an Orthodox Christian today might ask: What icons should I have in my home? How should they be arranged? Can I use reproductions of icons? What do I do with old, dilapidated icons?

Some of these questions merit an unequivocal answer, while others do not demand any kind of strict recommendations.

Where should one place icons at home?

In a free and accessible place.

The terse nature of such an answer is prompted by the realities of life, rather than by the absence of canonical requirements.

Of course, it is preferable to place icons on the eastern wall of the room, because the “East” as a theological concept has special significance in Orthodoxy.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed (Genesis 2:8).

O Jerusalem, look about thee toward the east, and behold the joy that cometh unto thee from God (Baruch 4:36).

Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house, which looketh eastward (Ezekiel 11:1).

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27).

But what should one do if there are windows or doors on the eastern side of one’s home? In that case, use the southern, northern, or western walls.

One should not combine icons with decorative objects of a secular nature, such as statuettes, various types of pictures, etc.

It is inappropriate to put icons on a bookshelf next to books having nothing in common with the Orthodox faith or that conflict with Christian teaching on love and charity.

It is absolutely impermissible to have icons next to posters or calendars depicting rock musicians, athletes, or politicians – the idols of the current age. This not only diminishes reverence for the holy images to an unacceptable degree, but also puts holy icons on par with the idols of the contemporary world.

The home icon corner can be decorated with live flowers. Traditionally, larger icons are often framed with towels. This tradition dates back to antiquity and has a theological basis. According to tradition, an image of the Savior miraculously appeared on a towel during His earthly life to help a suffering man. After washing His Face, Christ wiped His Face with a clean towel, on which an image of His Face appeared. The towel was sent to King Abgar, who was afflicted with leprosy, in the city of Edessa in Asia Minor. Upon healing, the ruler and his subjects adopted Christianity and the Image-Not-Made-By-Hands of Jesus Christ was affixed to a “permanent panel” and raised above the city gates.

In times past, August 29 (new style), the day the Church commemorates the translation of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople in 944, was known among the people as the feast of the “canvas” or “linen Savior,” and in some places fabric and towels made of homespun yarn were blessed.

These richly embroidered towels were reserved for use in the icon corner. Likewise, icons were framed by towels for use during weddings and the Blessing of Waters. Thus, for example, after the service for the Blessing of Waters, when the priest sprinkled the icons with abundant Holy Water, people would wipe the icons with special towels that they would incorporate into the icon corner.

There is a tradition that, following the celebration of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), pussy willow branches that have been blessed in church are kept near the icons until the following Palm Sunday.

It is customary that on Pentecost, the Day of the Holy Trinity, homes and icons are decorated with birch branches as a symbol of the flourishing Church, bearing the grace-filled power of the Holy Spirit.

Which icons should you have at home?

It is essential to have icons of the Savior and the Mother of God. The Image of the Lord Jesus Christ, which bears witness to the Incarnation and to the salvation of mankind, and of the Theotokos – the most perfect of those who have lived on earth, who was made worthy of deification, and who is venerated as more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim – are an essential part of the Orthodox Christian home. The icon of Christ ordinarily selected for prayer at home is a waist-length depiction of Christ Pantocrator.

Those with room for a greater number of icons in the home may supplement their icon corner with depictions of various revered saints.

Russian Orthodoxy has a strong tradition of special veneration for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker; almost every Orthodox family has an icon of him. One should note that, together with the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has always occupied a central place in Orthodox Christian homes. People revere St. Nicholas as a saint endowed with special grace. This stems in large part from the fact that, according to the Church’s Typikon, every Thursday, when the Church offers up prayers to the Holy Apostles, is also dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.

Among the icons of the Holy Prophets of God, that of the Prophet Elias holds a prominent place; prominent among the icons of the Holy Apostles is that of the Sts. Peter and Paul, the chiefs among the Apostles.

Among the images of martyrs for Christian Faith, those encountered most often are icons of the Holy Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer George and the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon.

It is recommended to have depictions of the Holy Evangelists, of St. John the Baptist, of the Holy Archangels Gabriel and Michael, as well as icons of the Feasts, to make a home icon corner complete.

The selection of icons for one’s home is always an individual matter. The best person to help one make these choices is one’s priest – the family’s spiritual father – and it is to him, or to another clergyman, that one should turn for advice.

As for icon reproductions and color photographs, sometimes it makes more sense to have a good reproduction than a painted icon of poor quality.

An iconographer should maintain a very demanding attitude toward his work. Just as a priest does not serve the Liturgy without due preparation, the iconographer must approach his service with full awareness of his responsibility. Unfortunately, both in the past and today, one often encounters vulgar examples of images that bear no resemblance to icons. Thus, if a given depiction does not evoke a sense of piety and a sense of contact with the holy, or if it is theologically suspect and its technical execution is unprofessional, it would be best not to purchase such an item.

However, reproductions of canonical icons, mounted on a firm backing and blessed in church, can occupy a place of honor in the home iconostasis.

How and in what order should icons be arranged?

Are there strict rules in that regard?

In church, yes. As to the home prayer corner, we may limit discussion to a few principal rules.

For example, a collection of icons hung without a sense of symmetry, without a well thought-out arrangement, evokes a constant sense of dissatisfaction with the arrangement and a desire to change everything – something that often distracts from prayer.

It is likewise essential to remember the principle of hierarchy: for example, do not place an icon of a locally-venerated saint above an icon of the Holy Trinity, the Savior, the Mother of God, or the Apostles.

Just as on a classic iconostasis, the Icon of the Savior should be to the right, and the Mother of God to the left.

What should be our attitude toward holy things?

As one of the attributes of God (Isaiah 6:3), holiness is also reflected in God’s saints and in physical objects. Therefore, reverence for holy people and sacred objects and images, as well as personal striving for authentic communion with God, are manifestations of a single order.

And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy (Leviticus 20: 26).

Family icons have always been held in particular reverence. Following baptism, an infant was brought before and icon and the priest or master of the house would read prayers. Parents blessed their children with an icon to pursue studies, to go on extended journeys, or to engage in public service. As a sign of their approval of a wedding, parents likewise blessed newlyweds with icons. Moreover, a person’s departure from this life took place in the presence of icons.

It is improper to have arguments or to engage in rowdy or otherwise improper behavior before the images of the saints.

One should instill proper reverence for holy images in children from a very early age.

What should you do if an icon’s condition has rendered it unfit for use and it cannot be restored?

Under no circumstance should such an icon, even one that has not been blessed, simply be thrown away. A holy item, even if it has lost its original appearance, should always be treated with reverence.

If the condition of the icon has deteriorated with age, it should be taken to church to be burned in the church furnace. If that proves impossible, you should burn the icon yourself and bury the ashes in a place that will not be sullied or disturbed, e.g., in a cemetery or under a tree in the garden.

The faces that look at us from icons belong to eternity. Gazing upon them, raise up your prayers to them, asking for their intercessions. We, the inhabitants of the earthly world, should never forget our Savior’s eternal call towards repentance, perfection, and the deification of every human soul.

Praying Before Icons

When praying, do everything with understanding. When you pour oil into the lamp burning before an icon, represent to yourself that the Life-giver every day, every hour, every minute supports your life by His Spirit, and, as daily by means of sleep in bodily respects, through prayer and the Word of God in spiritual respects, pours into you the sacred oil of life, by means of which your soul and body burn. When you place a candle before an icon, remember that your life is like a burning candle, that it will burn out and be extinguished, or that some other reasons, such as the passions, surfeiting, wine and other pleasures, make it burn faster than it should.

During prayer, before the icons or without them, it is necessary to always have full hope of receiving that which we ask for — for instance, deliverance from afflictions, spiritual sickness, and sins, because we have already a thousand times experienced that we do clearly obtain mercy from the Lord or Our Lady; and therefore, not to hope to obtain that which we ask in prayer, or to doubt in the fact of our prayers being heard, would be the greatest foolishness and blindness.

It is an excellent custom with Christians, and one pleasing to God, to have an icon of the Saviour and to pray to Him before it. This is a crying necessity of our soul. The Lord Himself, with the love which is proper to Him, desires to be formed in us, as the Apostle says: "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you"[1230] ; or "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith."[1231] But how can I form Christ in my heart if I do not first represent Him sensibly before my eyes? Thus we have images of the Saviour, of the Mother of God, and others. The love of Christians for them, desiring to always carry their images in their thoughts and hearts, as well as our nature, which is both carnal and spiritual, has called forth the necessity of representing Them on painted icons, placing them in the most honoured places of the house, as in our hearts or the chambers of our soul, and of reverencing them by bowing to them, first spiritually, and then bodily. And how in accordance with God's intention our veneration of icons is! Heaven itself replies to us from the icons, as the Lord in olden times replied from the mercy-seat in the Hebrew tabernacle; many of them shine by miracles.

Every place is the place of God's presence and sovereignty. Hence it is undoubtedly true that the Lord looks upon us with the eyes of the holy icons as with His own, and can speak to us by the mouths of the holy icons as by His own. Also, owing to the fact that the Lord is in every place, His cross, His name work miracles. His icons show themselves to be wonder-working, and are in every case places of His gracious presence.

An Excerpt from the diary of St. John of Kronstadt On Holy Icons, Images and Symbols.

Miraculous Icon of the Theotokos: the "Megalochari" of Tinos

Miraculous Icon of the Theotokos: the "Megalochari" of Tinos
"The miracle-working of the Holy Icon of the Annunciation of the Island of Tinos has been known since long age all over the world and thousands of Christians souls in every part of our planet feel its graceful influence in the difficult moments of their lives. The Sacred Church of the Megalochari [meaning “Great Grace”, referring to the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to the Theotokos “Hail of Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!”] of Tinos has since long been internationally recognized as a place of pilgrimage and as a philanthropic organization.

The sacred emotion and the mystical atmosphere present among the mass of believers at the Great Feasts of the Church, shake even those who know but few things about the Holy Icon.
No foreigner among those who visit the island remains unmoved in front of the Church of the Holy Virgin, which like a divine crown adorns, covers and guards the town of Tinos and most of the days of his stay there his interests is attracted by the Church.

The present edition is addressed to all our foreign fellow-men, who, irrespective of their language, nationality or religion, would like to get to know the Holy Foundation of the Annunciation of Tinos. It will try to present as shortly as possible a vivid picture about the Sacred Church, the history of the miracle-working Icon, the philanthropic, social and national activity of the Foundation. It will also deal with the narration of certain miracles of the innumerable ones which continuously happen, by which the Divine Grace sanctifies and saves the believers.

CHAPTER I - HISTORY
HOW THE WONDER-WORKING ICON OF OUR LADY WAS FOUND

The present site of the Marble Palace of the Virgin, with the numerous chapels, cell and the offices, has been since ancient times a place of religious gatherings and manifestations.
Excavations have proved that in pre-Christian times existed a temple of Dionysos of panhellenic projection. Next to the temple, on the Western side, there was an ancient theatre, where musical, gymnastic and dramatic games were held.

When the religion of the Nazarene established itself on the Cyclades, this ancient temple was transformed into a Christian church dedicated to the Holy Mother of Christ and to St. John the Forerunner. In this the wonder-working Icon of the Megalochari was kept and venerated.

This Sacred Church was destroyed in the middle of the 10th century during a great historic invasion of the Saracene pirates, who burned down and dug up this ancient building.
Since then the Holy Icon lay buried in the earth, until in the year 1823 the spade of a pious worker brought it to the surface and it became since then an invaluable relic and holy treasure of Christendom.

For the finding of worker-working Holy Icon many miraculous happenings occurred, which started from the Monastery of Kechrovounion lying on the slope of a mountain of the same name, 20 minutes by car from town. The Monastery was built about the 10th century and has always been example of the virtue and piety.

St. Pelagia the Righteous of Tinos, holding the Miraculous Icon which Panagia revealed to her 

THE VISION OF THE NUNIn this monastery during the year 1822, a pious nun named Pelagia saw repeatedly in her visions the Holy Virgin, who ordered her to go to the town and to inform the elders to start the excavations in order to find Her Icon, buried since many years ago in the uncultivated field, which the Holy Virgin described exactly, and to built Her Church on that place.

At first the nun hesitated, but soon she came to understand that the Divine Grace has chosen her to bring to the inhabitants of Tinos the happy announcement. She thus went to town and told the Bishop of the island about her Divine Visions. The Bishop, a wise prudent and pious man, knew about the virtue and holiness of Pelagia; after having listened attentively the believed in the words of the nun. He also brought to his mind the narrations of an old man of his town, who just a few years ago saw in his vision the Virgin Mary, Who expressed also to him Her desire that Her Holy Icon be bound. And he thought that the Christian history, which is full of miracles, teaches that many times God has revealed his Divine Will by visions.

Deeply moved, the Bishop gave his blessing to the pious nun and rallied the same day by ringing the church bells the people of Tinos, to whom he spoke with words full of faith about the vision of Pelagia and explained to them the desire of Our Lady. The people of Tinos, well known for their faith and adherence to the Christian principles, believed in the vision of the nun and the words of the Bishop and full of enthusiasm and sacred emotion started immediately in September 1822 the excavations.

THE FIRST FINDINGS
The first excavations brought to light the ruins of the foundations of the Church already mentioned, a deep but dry well, marble plates with various inscriptions, articles of religious worship and other things. However, the Holy Icon, about which the vision of Pelagia spoke, could not be found. Several days of fruitless searches passed. Little by little the enthusiasm started to diminish - an example of human weakness- and finally the excavations stopped.

Simultaneously, however, with the discontinuation of the excavations, a formidable illness made its appearance on the island with continuously increasing fatal outcomes.

Full of scare, the people of Tinos asked for the protection of the Virgin Mary, repenting for the disobedience they have shown to her Divine Orders.

With a warm and moving proclamation, the Bishop invited all the inhabitants to resume the excavations, which then started with greater zeal and enthusiasm.

This time the excavations were made in a systematic way. A special commission of inspection was formed. The inhabitants of the villages took also turns in the work in order to hasten up the searches.

After about one month's work it was decided to start, parallel to the searches of the Holy Icon, the building of the Sacred Church. Thus, on January 1st 1823 the corner stone of the Church of the ''Zoodohos Pighi'' (Life-giving Well) or of the ''Evresis'' (Finding), as it has been called after the finding of the Icon, was laid. This church is situated exactly below the brilliant Church of the Annunciation.

THE FINDING OF THE HOLY ICON

It was January 30th 1823. In spite of the great feast of the Three Hierarchs, the work was continued by the inhabitants of the village Phalatas, whose turn it was to work on that day.
They restricted the work mainly to the excavation of the floor of the Church under construction, the leveling and transportation of the earth.

By 2 p.m. one of the workers engaged in the transfer of earth, felt at a distance of about 2 metres from the well that his hatchet struck some wood. Frantic with joy and emotion, he saw that it was a part of the icon showing the angel holding the lily. Immediately he called al his colleagues and together they soon found the remaining part of the Icon showing the Virgin Mary, kneeling and accepting the Divine Message of the Incarnation of the Savior.

After cleaning in haste the Holy Icon, they joined two, parts and kissed it with religious fear.
The news of the finding of the Holy Icon spread with a lighting speed to the town of Tinos and the near-by villages. Masses of people with tears of emotion in their eyes started to assemble from all directions in order to adore they Holy Icon. Among the first ones to arrive was the Bishop with the clergy and the notables. Piously and full of emotion, they adored the Holy Icon and placed it on an old double legged stand outside the Church under construction, leaving it there for the people to adore it.

The Icon of the Theotokos the "Megalochari" above the Image of the Church of the Panagia "Evangelistria" of Tinos 

THE HOLY ICON

The Holy Icon of the Annunciation of Tinos, the Megalokhari, as it is called by the people, existed on the poor island of Tinos since the first Byzantine years and decorated the ancient Church of St. John the Forerunner, which was built after the destruction of the idols and the death of worship of the Olympian gods on the ruins of the pagan temple of Dionysos.

When this Holy Church was destroyed and burned down by the Saracenes in the 10th century A.D., the Icon was buried among the debris of the Church and was thus saved from that terrible catastrophe, which is mentioned by history with special emphasis.

Thus the Icon remained hidden in the ground till its discovery by the pious worker from Phalatas at noon January 30th 1823, after about 850 years. The fact that it remained in the humidity and the earth for so many years without practically any damage, can only be attributed to the wonder-working power and presence of the Holy Virgin.

It portrays the Megalokhari in a room, kneeling with Her head bent in prayer, in front of a small low stand, wearing a golden-yellow-green dress. On the stand is an open book, on which are written the words pronounced by the Virgin herself after the Annunciation by the Angel.
In the background of the small room and on both upper sides one can distinguish the separations of inner windows, while in the centre of the upper part of the Icon, we see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending from heaven.

Above Her and to the right we see a rod protruding from the wall, on which is hung a light-colored curtain. The fine and impervious material of the curtain is folded at the lower part towards the wall.

Opposite to the Virgin and turned towards Her stands the illuminated figure of the Archangel Gabriel, also wearing a golden-yellow-green robe and holding in his left hand the symbolical lily of purity.

On the back the Icon bears traces of the fire, which as it seems finished up the catastrophic work of the pirates during their terrible attack, from which the Icon was miraculously saved.
The art of the Holy Icon does not belong to the Byzantine age, but is much older, belonging to the early Christian age. Those who studied the origin of the Icon come to the unanimous conclusion that the Megalokhari of Tinos is the work of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. They even consider it to be one of the first three Icons painted by St. Luke during the life-time of the Holy Virgin of Nazareth. It is also asserted threat the Icon has received its wonder-working power from the Holy Virgin herself, Who being satisfied by the true presentation of the Divine Moment of the Annunciation by St. Luke, blessed the Icon with the following words: ''THE GRACE OF HIM WHO WAS BORNE BY ME BE THROUGH ME WITH IT''. This is the reasonable explanation given by the weak human mind to the infinite greatness of the finding of the Holy Icon by the divine order and indication of the Holy Virgin, as well as to Its wonder-working power, which is an inexhaustible source of consolidation, healing, salvation, peace and love for the Christians.

Like most of the relics of Christendom of the Holy Icon of the Megalokhari of Tinos is covered with plenty of gold and precious stones, which the devoted Christians deposit with piety in front of the Throne of Her Grace, wishing to express in this way their faith and gratefulness to the Mother of the whole world, offering Her the most precious articles that they have acquired by hard work and privation.

When looking at the Icon the pilgrim is filled unwillingly with emotion and awe. He kneels instinctively and prays and asks the Virgin to mediate so that Her Son Christ would give him from heaven strength and consolidation.

By observing closely the Icon one can see the face of the Virgin painted in the right direction and the face of the Archangel Gabriel in the left direction. The sides and the back of the Icon are in a golden frame, while the front surface is covered by the relief gold plate to which are attached jewels, rings, medallions, brooches, ear-rings, precious stones, diamonds, rubles emeralds and real pearls of great value.

A copy of the Icon can be seen in the Vestry next to the Church which we are going to describe below.

The Miraculous Icon of the "Megalochari" as it appears today, covered with the gold and jewels given in thanksgiving for miracles of the Theotokos 

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION (EVANGELISTRIA)

Immediately after the finding of the Holy Icon, it was decided to build a big Church above the chapel of the Life-giving Well (Zoodochos Pighi). For this purpose the Lower Church was extended to the right and to the left by proper porticos in order to enlarge it and above it was started the construction of the brilliant Church which we see to-day, after the plans of Eustratios Kallonaris, an architect and artist from Smyrna.

The whole work of construction, the iconography and the finishing of the Church, with the surrounding grounds and extensions was terminated by 1830, i.e. within eight years.

The work that was accomplished by our renowned forefathers within a relevantly short period of time is really surprising. Moreover, if we take into consideration the bad conditions prevailing at that time, the construction of this wonderful marble complex, which is preserved nearly unchanged up to-day, must cannot be attributed to nothing else but a miracle.

Only two years before the Holy Icon was found, the great and nation-saving Greek War of Liberation (1821) broke out.

The whole Greek Nation was fighting for its national liberation in and uneven inexorable fight against the Ottoman Empire. Destruction, blood and fire were commonplace.

The small, barren and poor island of Tinos, which also constituted a port of the fighting Country, answered the national call and its brave people found themselves together with all the other Greeks from the very first days in the first line of the fight

Besides, thousands of refugees from Chios and other islands that had received the wrath and the revenge of the Turks, had flooded the islands in a search of protection and salvation from the sword of the conqueror.

The poor island tried desperately to feed a multiple number of inhabitants. And in spite of that the Church of Megalokhari rose quickly to become a brilliant throne of the glory of the Mother of the Most Gracious King Christ.

The best technicians worked to produce the most brilliant marbles. The best known artists produced the wonderful inner ornamentation. The most famous artisans of that time built the marble palace of the Virgin. Tens of workers and unskilled technicians helped by carrying the raw materials and by executing the orders of the artisans.

Nobody tried to take advantage of or to receive high pay for his skills. Everybody worked for the sake of the Virgin, without receiving his normal wage.

Marbles and columns from the ancient temples of Delos and Poseidon at ''Kionia'', Tinos, were used for the construction of the Church, as well as marble from the quarries of Panormos, Tinos.

Every vessel that passed by the island loaded with lime, timber or another building material, being informed about the needs of the Church, donated part of its cargo for its construction.

When at a certain moment the funds of the Church were nearly exhausted, the Virgin, by one of the innumerable miracles that happen in her Holy Church, replenished the treasury again with money and the work continued without the slightest interruption.

The Church and the holy complex were thus built, and it has been preserved up to-day with only slight changes or renovations, which however have not changed at all its initial form. Anybody entering the Church is filled with religious awe and sacred emotion.

The gold and silver, lavishly offered to Her Grace by pious Christians from all over the world, give it a specific appearance. The enormous chandeliers and the hundreds of icon-lamps hanging in unending rows, offer to the Megalokhari the humble light of the sanctified oil and to the pilgrim and visitor a spectacle of surrounded by a mystic atmosphere.

Below each icon-lamp hangs an offering - a vessel, a silver child, a golden woman, an instrument, an animal, a house, a heart and many, many other things.

Each one of them is a living story of a cause of the offering, as well as of the divine intervention, to the desperate captain, whose vessel and crew were saved by the Megalokhari, to the sick child that was healed with the help of Her Grace, to the orphan and to the weak woman, who with the help of the Great Mother of the World found the courage and the strength to face the difficulties of life, to the poor bread-earner whose faith in the Virgin and the Protectress of the persecuted lead him to progress and promotion, to the unprotected girl, who with the help of the Virgin got what she desired in life- a house and a household.

To the left, at the marble praying desk, the Holy Icon brilliant framed with golden offerings and flowers, sheds its sweet light. At any time of the year or of the day, the visitor of the Church will see somebody in front of Her Gase who invokes the help and succour of the Virgin.


In the background, the icons of the bauster, also clad in gold and silver, compose and underline together with all the vestry the sacredness of the place and the greatness of the Church.

Good-voiced chanters and revered priests in golden dresses chant continuously thanksgiving hymns to the Lady of the Angels and pray for the salvation of the world.

By a tradition taken over from the seat of the Patriarchat at Constantinople, the Divine Liturgy and vespers are held every day of the year, from the inauguration of the Church and up to day.

Church of Panaga "Evangelstria" (of the Annunciation) - Tinos 

THE MIRACLES OF THE MEGALOKHARI OF TINOS
The whole history of the Holy Church of the Megalokhari of Tinos, from the first vision of the nun Pelagia and up to day, is full of unquestionable miraculous events, which prove the divine presence and the divine action, there were it is impossible for the normal flow of things to act and to give an explanation.

Even the most rationally minded researcher, however indifferent and abstemious he might try to be when examining the reality about the Megalokhari, he will not be able to avoid the feeling of the presence of the Virgin in every step of his and in the end he will whisper full of piety: ''Great art Thou, o Lord, and wonderful art Thy works''.

Besides, the innumerable offerings are the biggest proof of the miracles, because all of them are an expression of faith, gratefulness and thankfulness on the part of the saved towards the Virgin.


For the sake of the reader, we will mention several of the remarkable and characteristic miracles of the Megalokhari, out of the numerous miracles happening daily, most of which are confirmed by the official written history of the Church.

The ornate interior of the Church of Panagia "Evangelistria" of Tinos. Many of the vigil lamps and decoratons were given out of thanks for miracles of the Theotokos.

HOW TINOS WAS SAVED FROM THE EPIDEMY [Epidemic?]
As the first miracle of the Holy Icon after its finding one should mention the salvation of the island from a terrific epidemy, which carried daily to death hundreds of the island's inhabitants. As witnessed by the historians o that time, as soon as the joyful announcement o the finding of the Holy Icon reverberated in the frozen atmosphere, the epidemy stopped and from that moment on no more cases of the disease were reported. Even those who were attacked by the disease got well again.

THE WELL OF SANCTIFICATION [Agiasma, Holy Water]
As told above, the mouth of a well was found during the excavations made in search of the Holy Icon. The well was completely dry and could not be used for anything.

As there did not exist any well near to the building site, on the day of the laying of the corner-stone of the Holy Church, the Bishop sent a small boy to bring some water from the town for the celebration of the hallowing of the waters.

Shortly afterwards the child was back and told the Bishop that the well next to the foundations was full of water. Having heard this the Bishop, accompanied by the notables went to the spot and all of them saw with great surprise that the dry well was now filled up to the brink with water.


They all made the sign of the cross for this miracle and after that took from the well the water necessary for the celebration of the hallowing.

From that time, the water of the well has been used by the pious pilgrims as a sacred water and everybody takes it along with him in special vials and keeps it at home as a talisman.

THE SAVING OF THE ENGLISH FRIGATE.
During one of the first years of the construction of the Church and n a period of great financial difficulties for treasury of the Church, which would have lead to the suspension of the construction works, a big English frigate was anchorched at the beach of the town, which at that time did not have a harbour. On board of the frigate was the English vice-concul H. Flick, a Catholic by confession.

Suddenly, as it often happen in the Aegean, a storm broke out and placed in a difficult situation the master of the frigate, which was in danger of being crushed on the wild rocks of the coast.

The frightened vice-consul standing on the deck saw at a distance the Church under construction and prayed spontaneously for his salvation and promised a substantial amount of money.

It happened them, as told by an eye-witness, that while the storm continued to rage out in the sea, around the frigate named ''As You Like It'' the waters were absolutely calm, as if a divine hand had removed from there the wild waves.

The vessel was saved and the vice-consul, faithful to his promise, went to the Church, adored the Icon and deposited at the treasury 100 Spanish dollars, which permitted the continuation of the construction works.
This miracle is representative of a great number of others, by which the Virgin helped for the works of the construction of the Church never to stop.

THE PRESENT OF THE MOSLEM OFFICIAL.
It is not only among the Orthodox that the Divine Grace acts by the Holy Icon of the Annunciation. It also acts among people of other confessions and nationalities.

As an example is mentioned the case of a Turkish colonel, a Moslem by confession, who was suffering from an incurable disease and visited the Church of the Megalokhari to ask for Her Help. The Virgin granted his prayers and healed him.

Full of gratefulness, the Turk undertook the expenses for the construction of a wonderful marble fountain next to the marble staircase of the upper Church, here the hallowing of the waters is celebrated on Epiphany every year.

THE VESSEL WITH THE FISH.
Around the middle of last century a vessel sailing in the Mediterranean met with an anti-cyclone. The ship fought hard, but the wild waves opened a breach in the ship's hold and it started to sink. The frightened crew, while doing everything in their power to stop the water, sent their warm prayers to the Lady for help. After tremendous efforts and hardships they succeeded to bring the vessel to safety into a leeward harbour.

Their first thing to do was to repair the damages caused by the storm. It was then that they found out to their surprise that a big fish was caught in the breach of the vessel, as a result of which the influx of water stopped.

They considered this as a sign of the divine intervention of the Megalokhari and in their faith and emotion they hurried to send Her the ''tama'' (offering).

Thus a model of that vessel, with the fish in the breach, made of gold and silver, can be seen hanging on one of the big icon-lamps of the Church of the Annunciation of Tinos.

THE SILVER ORANGE TREE.
A Greek, who lived for many years in America got blind after a heavy sickness. He heard about the miracles of the Megalokhari of Tinos and asked the Lady with help to give him back his health. He promised that he would offer to Her Grace anything that he will see first.

The divine Grace acted through the Mother of God on the sick Christian , who after many years found again his sight.

Faithful to his promise and full of gratefulness he sent to the Church of our Lady of Tinos his offering, which presents a wonderful orange tree with ripe fruits, bearing on the ends of the top branches fine supports for small lamps, all made of pure silver, because the first thing that he saw after the miracle was an orange tree.
This wonderful offering can be seen on the right side of the entrance.

THE HEALING OF THE DYING KING
In 1915 the King of the Hellenes Constantine was down with a heavy illness. His health deteriorated quickly and his physicians were anxious about the state of his health. A deep sorrow spread among the Greek people, who adored the Warrior-King and followed with agony the development of the illness, praying at the same time for his salvation.

In the general atmosphere of anxiety and pain, the Megalokhari of Tinos appeared as a ray of live-giving light and the hopes of everybody were turned to her.

The Holy Icon was transferred with great honours to Athens and thousands of people accompanied Her to the Palace. It was for the first time that the Icon left Her House.

The King, embraced by the nightmare of the long fever, became aware of the presence of the Megalokhari and with trembling lips asked to kiss Her Icon.

From that moment on the illness started to recede and within a few days the King was healthy again.

The King thanked the Virgin and out of gratefulness dedicated to Her a golden plate on which he is presented riding on his horse.

The offering is attached to the old wood carved praying desk. During the stay of the Holy Icon in Athens, tens of sick people were healed, as is witnessed by many official documents and confirmed by various offerings.
It is a fact that our Kings, continuers of the great Byzantine tradition and faithful Christians, have always expressed their reverence and adoration to the Megalokhari and Protectress of the Nation and many and precious offerings are royal presents.

Lately, the late King Paul asked on his death - bed strength and consolidation from the Holy Icon of the Megalokhari of Tinos, which the then Heir and now King Constantine placed at his pillow during his last moments.

Ocean of Ink would not suffice for the narration of the miracles of the Megalokhari. Innumerable cases are mentioned in his official documents of the Foundation and thousands of pious Christians witness with their letters and offerings the acts of Divine Grace.

As already mentioned, every molecule of the building of the Holy Church and of the Foundation of the Annunciation of Tinos is a living proof of the miracle.

THE NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE OF THE FINDING OF THE HOLY ICON OF THE MEGALOKHARI.
The finding of the Icon took place when Greece was in a dramatic situation.

Only two years ago (1821) the whole Greek Nation had revolted against the tyranny of the Turks and had declared before God and men its political existence and independence, based on its indestructible moral forces and the help of the God.

All Greeks believed in the sacredness of their fight, since they fought for the basic ideals which compose the human entity, i.e. the liberty and the national dignity. This belief became for the fighting men a deep set conviction and the leaders of the war of independence used to say that God had signed the liberation of Greece.

Thus, when the news spread that on the small island of Tinos the Icon of the Virgin was found under miraculous circumstances and the first miracles became known, all Greek should felt a great joy and came to believe that its finding was a divine sign, which meant an approval of the fight and a confirmation of the liberation.

Great soldiers and leaders of the fighting Nation among them Kanaris, Miaoulis and Kolokotronis, visited the Megalokhari of Tinos and lit before the Holy Icon the candle of gratefulness and reverence.

Thus the history of the Holy Icon is closely bound to the History of modern Greece and the feasts of the Church have always a national religious character, where the Government is officially represented in the presence of high military, administrative and judicial authorities.

THE FEASTS OF THE HOLY CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF TINOS
The Church of the Annunciation is for Tinos the centre of all religious and national manifestations of its inhabitants. All services and doxologies for great historic events are held there.

The most important holidays of Christianity, like Christmas, Easter, the services of the Akathist and of the Passions of Our Lord, are celebrated there in an atmosphere of contrition and surprising greatness, similar only to that of the period of the height of the Byzantine age.

Many foreigners spend their holidays during these feasts on the island of Tinos.

But the feast of the Holy Church of the Megalokhari are mainly the following:

January 30th - Anniversary of the Finding of the Holy Icon.
On this day the religious feelings of the believers find strongest expression. The whole population of the island and many visitors, who disregard the winder storms of the Aegean offer their thanks to the Great Mother and Proctress of the Christians, Who deigned to reveal Her Holy Icon for the salvation of all those who really believe.

In the afternoon on the eve the Holy Icon is transferred with great honours to the Lower Church and its placed near the point where is lay buried for centuries. This is followed by a special service dedicated to the finding of the Icon.

The next day, an official episcopical [presided over by Bishops] [Divine Liturgy] is celebrated and by 2 p.m. unde the continuous ringing of the bells of all churches, the Holy Icon is carried through the decorated streets of the town in its gold and silver canopy supported by the church wardens, the local authorities and the representatives of the population. After a short prayer at the quai the Holy Icon is returned to Her marble palace, where a prayer is said in memorial of the builders of the Church, whose tombs are situated at the East side of the Church, and of all those who have sacrificed their fortunes and themselves for the construction of the Church.

After vespers the President of the Church Committee pronounces the panegyric of the day, which refers mainly to the activity of the Holy Foundation during the past year and the planned activity of the new year.
In the evening the school-children lead by the orchestra of the Church march through the streets holding lighted multi-colour lamps and singing various hymns referring to the finding of the Holy Icon.

Icon of the Holy Annunciaton of the Theotokos 

March 25th, The Annunciation of Our Lady.This day has double meaning for the Greeks, because they celebrate at the same time the Annunciation of Our Lady by the Archangel Gabriel and the anniversary of the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which brought the liberation of our nation.

In the Church of the Megalokhari the celebration has a national religious character, which is attended by members of the Government, who arrive on the eve aboard a special Navy vessel. Very often the celebration is attended by the Royal family, who have have a special respect for the Megalokhari.

Up to the year 1920 great masses of Christians, mainly from the Asia Minor regions flooded the island in order to participate in the celebrations. However, after the exchange of the populations with Turkey and the uprooting of the Greek element from the shores of Asia Minor, the flow of pilgrims from these stopped. Today, inspite of the heavy climate conditions of that time of the year, the attendance amounts to several thousand people.

On the eve a service is held with the participation of navy bishops, after which the Church remains open, permitting the pilgrims to pass the night inside the Church and to offer continuous prayers to the Virgin. Many miracles happen every year these all night long prayers.

On the day of the feast an episcopal mass is celebrated after which the Holy Icon is carried in a procession up to the quai of the town.

July 23rd, Anniversary of the Vision of St. Pelagia.This day the people of Tinos consecrates to memory of that pious nun Pelaghia, who had the great privilege to be visited on that day in her poor cell by Our Lady and to the first person to annunciate the finding of the Holy Icon.

Early in the morning of that day, accompanied by the nuns of the Monastery and a crowd of believers, is transferred to the Monastery where St. Pelaghia lived. A festive mass is celebrated there and in the afternoon a requiem s held in the cell of St. Pelaghia, where the visitor can still see her humble belongings, her ascetic bed and may adore her holy head.

Later in the afternoon, the Holy Icon is returned to Her Church surrounded by the clergy and thousands of people.

August 15th, The Assumption of the Holy Virgin.This day is concentrated to Megalokhari. Thousands of pilgrims from all parts of Greece and from abroad, surpassing 30.000 people every year, come to the Megalokhari full of faith and threats, warm, implores of Her Grace. Among them are many distressed human beings, physical and mental invalids, persecuted and suffering people.

The representatives of the Government, other official, as well as the military guard of honour arrive on the eve, while masses of people are crowded in front of the Church, trying to adore the Megalokhari and if possible to secure a place inside the Church.

While the adoration continues throughout the night, those who remain nude the Church offer continuous prayers and ask Our Lad to give them health and peace to the whole world.

Many of them carried away by the mystical and inspiring atmosphere which is created inside the Church and flooded by the lights of faith, come to see the optasy of the Virgin n the trembling light of the lamps and the smoke of incense. Then the shouts, the outbursts of the sacred emotion, ascend to the heavens and electrify the crowds, who in an unworldly uproar sing hymns of thanks, expectation and faith. These are the moments when the Divine Grace chooses to act and to perform miracles.

Mutes find suddenly their voice and mad with joy run to kneel in front of the Icon. Paralytic children, blind girls find again their precious health and in a confusion of shouts and emotions express their gratitude to the Megalokhari.

On the day of the feast, the noise and the traffic on Tinos resemble that of a Megalopolis. Its population of 3000 is increased ten times overnight. Its houses and streets are full with people. In its small harbour a forest of masts is rolling rhythmically and the flags greet the light of the brilliant day of the feast of our Lady, which is also a feast of every Christian soul. On the quai the agitated crowds are moving towards the Church.

In endless queues, which are formed in front of the Church, the pilgrims wait for their turn under the burning August sun to adore Her Grace. The big candles, which every one of them has vowed to light in front of the Holy Icon, protrude from the crowd in the form of real spears and arrows of a strange army fighting for the salvation of its soul.

Black-dressed mothers with children loaded on their backs, persecuted orphans and black-dressed youths, who have lost their health, ascend the wide avenue on their knees. Sweat running down their faces like drops of blood waters the hole earth, their faces changing from the superstension, while continue their hard course, because they have vowed to walk in this way the distance between the quay and the Throne of Her Grace, because they believe that the love and protection of the Great Protectress will be much sweeter, after they have felt the agony and hardships, and have gave through the martyrdom of Jesus Her Son in the ascend to Golgotha for the explanation and the salvation of the world


At 10 a.m. an official processation of the Holy Icon takes place, after which the clergy and the officials go aboard a special vessel to the point exactly where on August 15th 1940 the destroyer ''ELLI'', one of the best Greek navy vessels at that time, was treacherously and cowardly sunk by an Italian submarine. There a requiem is held and a laurel crown is thrown on the wet tomb of the glorious ship and of the innocent victims of its crew.

At noon starts the departure of the believers by the big passenger liners, which on that day make special passages to Tinos


All leave the island re-baptized [not referring to a second Sacrament of Baptism] in the eternal source of the Grace of the Megalokhari."

Icon of the Theotokos "Megalochari" of Tinos 

 

Troparion of the Mother of God Tone 1

O people of Tinos and all faithful, come and acclaim with hymns our Protectress; the all-venerable icon of the pure Mother of God/ is found to be a source of healing for us. Let us cry to her: Rejoice, O our glory and boast. Rejoice, thou who hast delivered mankind from the ancient curse.

Most-Holy Theotokos, save us! Amen!