---
title: "Icons — Orthodoxy"
description: "Famous icons with photographs, description and history. The Orthodox Church calendar, icons, prayers, lives of saints and Church history on spas.life."
url: "https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons"
language: "en"
---

# Icons

Famous icons with photographs, description and history.

An icon is an image for prayer. The description explains theological meaning and prayer tradition; it does not promise an outcome.

- [![Icon of Christ Pantocrator: a half-length image of Christ blessing with his right hand and holding a Gospel book in his left, on a gold background.](https://spas.life/_astro/christ-pantocrator-sinai.dYloPact_2p6XE6.webp) Christ Pantocrator of Sinai 6th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/christ-pantocrator-sinai)
- [![Icon of the Mother of God of the Eleusa type: the Christ Child presses his cheek to his Mother's face.](https://spas.life/_astro/theotokos-of-vladimir.DHE9gcl2_2jMtzJ.webp) Theotokos of Vladimir Early 12th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/theotokos-of-vladimir)
- [![The Trinity icon: three angels seated around a table with a cup; behind them a house, a tree and a mountain.](https://spas.life/_astro/trinity-andrei-rublev.xNVsmwn5_G0u2.webp) The Trinity by Andrei Rublev Early 15th century, traditionally around 1425](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/trinity-andrei-rublev)
- [![Icon of the Sign: the Mother of God with hands raised in prayer and a medallion with the Christ Child on her breast.](https://spas.life/_astro/our-lady-of-the-sign-novgorod.6I5-2XOo_Z1ryiA5.webp) Our Lady of the Sign of Novgorod First half of the 12th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/our-lady-of-the-sign-novgorod)
- [![Icon of the Annunciation: the Archangel Gabriel and the standing Mother of God, with the image of the Christ Child on her breast.](https://spas.life/_astro/ustyug-annunciation.CVP8WC6q_Z1wzt3R.webp) Ustyug Annunciation Approximately 1120–1140](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/ustyug-annunciation)
- [![Icon of the Holy Face: the face of Christ with a cross-inscribed halo on a light background.](https://spas.life/_astro/holy-face-novgorod.MMLJj2To_Z1Ut81X.webp) Christ Acheiropoietos — The Holy Face Second half of the 12th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/holy-face-novgorod)
- [![Icon of Saint George: the Great Martyr shown full-length as a warrior with a spear and sword.](https://spas.life/_astro/saint-george-novgorod-1130.DCESpLcb_2wikfs.webp) Saint George of Novgorod Approximately 1130](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/saint-george-novgorod-1130)
- [![Detail of Our Lady of the Don: the faces of the Mother of God and the Christ Child pressing his cheek to hers.](https://spas.life/_astro/our-lady-of-the-don.C0lmO4Lb_2dtSdq.webp) Our Lady of the Don Late 14th century, approximately 1380–1395](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/our-lady-of-the-don)
- [![The Angel with Golden Hair: a bust-length image of an archangel whose hair is drawn with fine golden lines.](https://spas.life/_astro/angel-with-golden-hair.CgOI82Ez_Z7F6lT.webp) The Angel with Golden Hair Second half of the 12th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/angel-with-golden-hair)
- [![An 18th-century copy of the Kazan icon: the Mother of God at shoulder length beside the standing Christ Child, who blesses with his right hand.](https://spas.life/_astro/our-lady-of-kazan-historical-copy.DWZQsI_P_Zfi6el.webp) Our Lady of Kazan — Historical Copy 18th century](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/our-lady-of-kazan-historical-copy)

## Iconographic types

- [Eleousa (“Tenderness”) — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-eleousa)
- [Hodegetria (“She who shows the Way”) — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-hodegetria)
- [Old Testament Trinity (Hospitality of Abraham) — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-trinity)
- [Saviour Not-Made-by-Hands (Mandylion) — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-mandylion)
- [Christ Pantokrator (Almighty) — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-pantokrator)
- [Orans / “Of the Sign” — iconographic type Iconographic type](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/type-oranta)

## Other icons

- [Kazan Icon of the Theotokos Historical icon · Appeared in Kazan in 1579; the original was stolen in 1904 and is considered lost](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/kazan)
- [Moscow copy of the Kazan Icon (Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo) Copy · 17th-century copy (by church tradition the icon of the 1612 militia)](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/kazan-yelokhovo)
- [Iveron Icon of the Theotokos (Portaitissa) Historical icon · By tradition 9th century; the surviving painting is dated to the 11th–12th centuries](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/icons/iveron)