A question about icons!

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I know that icons and iconography are present in both Catholic and Orthodox traditions, although more in the Orthodox tradtion, and I have a quick question.

Are icons specific to each of these churches? Can a Catholic buy an icon from an Orthodox source and legitimately use it or is this forbidden. Or could an Orthodox Christian use an icon painted by a Catholic or from a Catholic shop? Or is there some rule which states that icons for use in either tradition must be brought from places specific to that tradition?

I apologise if this is a stupid question. 🙂
 
No, it shouldn’t matter at all. The icon is not important. It could be a picture that someone drew. The important thing is the person that it represents (Jesus, Mary or a saint). Hope that answers your question. 🙂
 
The difference is mainly in styles. Such difference varies more between the various rites than between those in Union with Rome and those not so. A Russian style is distinct from a greek style, even some symbolism changes. As already said, any can help.

In Christ,
Br Matthew, LC
 
Interesting is the blessings done to icons in the eastern rites…bought an icon from an orthodox monestary and had it blessed in the Byznatine rite for my Godson…it was cool.
 
I know several Catholics who go on retreats to “write” an icon under the instruction of a teacher. Sometimes this teacher is a Catholic, and sometimes it is an Orthodox priest.

It is a very prayerful retreat, as the one “writing” the icon must be in prayer with every stroke of the brush.
 
I can’t imagine that it matters. You might want to be careful and make sure the saint depicted is also recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint. I’m sure the vast majority of saints revered by the Orthodox are good, holy people in Heaven, but how sure are we about Czar Nicholas II and his family?

By the way, icons are not ‘painted’ or ‘drawn’, they are ‘written’. Just a point of information.

Our parish has a beautiful icon of our Lord. I love this kind of art.
 
I personally love Orthodox style icons, and have one of the Holy Family in my room. Get it blessed by a priest if that would make you more comfortable about using it in prayer, and I’d second doing some research to make sure that the saint depicted is a Catholic saint if it isn’t obvious. God Bless!🙂
 
Dorothy said:
I know several Catholics who go on retreats to “write” an icon under the instruction of a teacher. Sometimes this teacher is a Catholic, and sometimes it is an Orthodox priest.

It is a very prayerful retreat, as the one “writing” the icon must be in prayer with every stroke of the brush.
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wow that would be cool but challenging i wonder how long that would take
 
Thank you for clarifying. I shoud really actually buy some icons for my prayer table…although I will likely stick to depictions of the Theotokos and of Jesus to be safe.
 
Kouyate42 said:
Thank you for clarifying. I shoud really actually buy some icons for my prayer table…although I will likely stick to depictions of the Theotokos and of Jesus to be safe.
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There are many beautiful icons that depict our Blessed Mother with the Child Jesus!
 
Dorothy said:
There are many beautiful icons that depict our Blessed Mother with the Child Jesus!
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Depictions of the Theotokos are a personal favorite piece of iconography for me ever since visiting the mountain monasteries in Cyprus. The iconography in these monasteries are simply breathtaking in the beauty of the depictions and the devotion needed to write them.
 
Kouyate42 said:
I know that icons and iconography are present in both Catholic and Orthodox traditions, although more in the Orthodox tradtion, and I have a quick question.

Are icons specific to each of these churches? Can a Catholic buy an icon from an Orthodox source and legitimately use it or is this forbidden. Or could an Orthodox Christian use an icon painted by a Catholic or from a Catholic shop? Or is there some rule which states that icons for use in either tradition must be brought from places specific to that tradition?

I apologise if this is a stupid question. 🙂
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In some Churches and our big Catholic Cathedral here ,as well as Catholic bookshops they sell Byzantine style icons which have the greek writing on them also…

I bought one of the Guardian Angel and got my Catholic Priest to bless it,

I also have a couple of Icons from a Russian Orthodox Church at home but because they have been used and blessed by the Orthodox ,i dont really pray to them anymore nor want them around, so i will return them to the Orthodox Church where they came from.

I guess i could take them to an Eastern Catholic Church or Catholic Priest to get them blessed but i prefer not to ,but to respect where they came from and just give them back.
Thats just shows my doubts towards Catholicism though compared with the Orthodox Church.

An Orthodox Christian would not usually have statues or Western styled religous images,as there Church follows strict guidelines on how Icons should be painted and presented and Statues and Western religous Art dont fit their criteria of true icons.

The Mother of perpetual help Icon which is seen in Catholic Churches came to Rome from Crete,Greece,where it was an Orthodox icon(and still is), around 500 years ago. With the story the Virgin Mary appeared and told them to place the icon in a Catholic Church.

Here is a website on the icon ,and read the Origin and discovery section-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Perpetual_Help
 
The icon is a window into the Divine, a glimpse into the Kingdom of God. This is why often the background is all “off”. It is meant to show that the Kingdom of God is unlike our world. Icons can come from a variety of traditions and often differ between different branches of Christianity. They also differ based on geographic location. Catholics are welcome to use Icons because they serve as a tool into the divine world.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
In some Churches and our big Catholic Cathedral here ,as well as Catholic bookshops they sell Byzantine style icons which have the greek writing on them also…

I bought one of the Guardian Angel and got my Catholic Priest to bless it,

I also have a couple of Icons from a Russian Orthodox Church at home but because they have been used and blessed by the Orthodox ,i dont really pray to them anymore nor want them around, so i will return them to the Orthodox Church where they came from.

I guess i could take them to an Eastern Catholic Church or Catholic Priest to get them blessed but i prefer not to ,but to respect where they came from and just give them back.
Thats just shows my doubts towards Catholicism though compared with the Orthodox Church.

An Orthodox Christian would not usually have statues or Western styled religous images,as there Church follows strict guidelines on how Icons should be painted and presented and Statues and Western religous Art dont fit their criteria of true icons.

The Mother of perpetual help Icon which is seen in Catholic Churches came to Rome from Crete,Greece,where it was an Orthodox icon(and still is), around 500 years ago. With the story the Virgin Mary appeared and told them to place the icon in a Catholic Church.

Here is a website on the icon ,and read the Origin and discovery section-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Perpetual_Help
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There is noting bad with you having icons , just get them blessed by your priest and venerate them. If you still don’t want them send them over to me!😃
 
CatholicLife said:
There is noting bad with you having icons , just get them blessed by your priest and venerate them. If you still don’t want them send them over to me!😃
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They are from Orthodoxy,i dont want to convert them into ‘Catholic icons’

i dont want them because i want no attachments to Orthodox people

to be honest if i get them blessed by Catholics ,i dont know if i would be doing the right thing…

It may be a Holy Orthodox icon which i then have turned into an Unholy Catholic icon

the same is with myself ,i was Orthodox now Catholic and i dont know if im doing the right thing.

But if you really want the 2 icons i got ,i can send them to you no worries,i like getting involved more with the Catholics here.

email me an address and you will have them 🙂

your most likely in a different country then me but i will still send them 🙂
 
Paul_theApostle said:
They are from Orthodoxy,i dont want to convert them into ‘Catholic icons’

i dont want them because i want no attachments to Orthodox people

to be honest if i get them blessed by Catholics ,i dont know if i would be doing the right thing…

It may be a Holy Orthodox icon which i then have turned into an Unholy Catholic icon

the same is with myself ,i was Orthodox now Catholic and i dont know if im doing the right thing.

But if you really want the 2 icons i got ,i can send them to you no worries,i like getting involved more with the Catholics here.

email me an address and you will have them 🙂

your most likely in a different country then me but i will still send them 🙂
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What?? Just because an Icon was blessed by an Orthodox Priest (valid Holy Orders) and then perhaps blessed by a Catholic Priest doesn’t make it unholy! What about Eastern Catholic Churches whose Icons and Iconography were written by Orthodox??
God Bless,
Pakesh
 
My mind has been on the icon Our Lady of Guadalupe
monasteryicons.com/guadalupe/

http://www.monasteryicons.com/cgi-bin/hazel.cgi?action=DETAIL&item=573&template=popup_temp.html

sacred-destinations.com/mexico/mexico-city-basilica-guadalupe

Every year a blessed official 7 foot lithograph copied from the Basilica of Guadalupe travels from coast to coast across Canada to Catholic Cathedrals, Parishes and private homes with special permission.

Recently my youngest brother dying of A.L.S. and his American wife had a special visit from the Blessed Icon.
The Icon was carried by Graydon Nicholas the Lieutenant-Governor of our province who happens to also be Catholic. Nice privilege.
 
Even when I was an atheist, I would likely never have treated a holy image, including an icon, with any sort of disrespect or considered them merely pretty pictures or mere artwork.
 
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