Church Icon Question

[BusterMartin]

I was wondering if there were any rules regarding what “type” of icon a Church has to use to truly consider it an icon. Could a Church use printouts from a computer, paper copies, or laminated prints for their icons? I know many people who use some form of those for personal prayer purposes, but can a Church use them? Or does it have to be a hand-painted icon? If it is a hand-painted one that must be used, are there rules for how it is created (type of wood, type of paint, amount of layers, etc.)?

Thanks!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I was wondering if there were any rules regarding what “type” of icon a Church has to use to truly consider it an icon. Could a Church use printouts from a computer, paper copies, or laminated prints for their icons? I know many people who use some form of those for personal prayer purposes, but can a Church use them? Or does it have to be a hand-painted icon? If it is a hand-painted one that must be used, are there rules for how it is created (type of wood, type of paint, amount of layers, etc.)?

Thanks!

There are indeed rules for how icons are painted. I don’t know them off the top of my head, but I do know there are rules.

Icons do not have to be hand-painted to be displayed in a Church. I know of several parishes that have icon prints (some from less reputable places such as Monastery Icons). My own parish has a combination of hand painted-icons and prints. Most of our icons are hand-painted, however.

Iconography is actually a universal tradition within the Church, much like mosaics. In fact, at one point in time even the Latin Church decorated its churches solely with icons and mosaics (no statues). The style of iconography was different from Byzantine (Greek or Russian) iconography, however; much like the Coptic or Ethiopian style of iconography is different from the Byzantine style. The Franciscan “San Damiano” crucifix might be more akin to a Latin style of iconography if you want a good example.

 

[BusterMartin]

There are indeed rules for how icons are painted. I don’t know them off the top of my head, but I do know there are rules.

Thanks for the reply! It’s good to hear that laminates can, and are, used. Also, as for the rules for writing the icons, I did already know that there were rules to write them. I guess what I was wondering is if they were more strict or just different when they are to be displayed in a Church.

 

[Diakonia]

Thanks for the reply! It’s good to hear that laminates can, and are, used. Also, as for the rules for writing the icons, I did already know that there were rules to write them. I guess what I was wondering is if they were more strict or just different when they are to be displayed in a Church.

No, the rules are the same. The ideal would be that all icons are painted by hand, but the reality is that not every temple, particularly small, nascent parishes and missions, can afford this.

There are, as someone mentioned multiple styles of iconography. These can include painted icons, which is what we usually think of when we hear the term used. However, there is also mosaic, metallic, bas-relief, carved, reverse glass, and embroidered iconography, among others. As to the style of iconic depiction, it can range from very primitive through folk-art to sophisticated presentations - and everything in between. There are even Eastern and Oriental schools (styles) of iconography that, without knowing differently, one would take to be ‘Western’ on first seeing them.