The painting of a new icon – be it a copy of a known sample or a new image – is akin to its birth into the world. The iconographic image elevates a person to the Primordial Image – to God or the original image of a saint; it opens for him a “window” into the spiritual world. Icon painters treat each image responsibly, with attention and awareness.
We painted icons of rare saints to order in our studio (to learn more click here), the most recent of which have been St. Nika of Corinth and St. Benedict of Nursia.
Compared to these images, the icons of the new martyrs look quite unfamiliar to us. For example, we have recently painted icons of the holy martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov to order.
One of our most recent orders was to paint an icon of the Holy Confessor Alexis Toth, who was canonized by the American Orthodox Church and glorified among the Saints of Galicia by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Thanks to his missionary activity within the emigrant Ruthenian community, hundreds of thousands of Uniates converted to Orthodoxy.
When you create an iconographic image, it is very important to collect as much information as possible so that you can prepare and learn more about the saint, get an insight of his life through his biography and recollections.
One way or another there emerges a connection between the icon painter and the saint whose image he paints: traditionally, the artist prays to the saint and reads a canon or prayers to him. At any rate, collecting information is always the first step.
The next step was the preparation of a sketch.
The client submitted several images to guide the icon painters. There are cases when the samples simply do not exist, and this is when the artist faces an interesting creative task – to create the non-existent iconography. For example, when you paint an icon of a locally revered or a newly glorified saint and there are only his photos or pictures. It is important to keep in mind the rank in which the saint is glorified: a holy hierarch, a monk, a new martyr, or a confessor. There is a special book on iconography and a collection of samples titled Podlinnik, which defines all the details of iconographic images. It is in that book that you can look up a canonical description of the image, i.e. how the saint is to be depicted.
Once the sketch was ready, it was sent to the client for approval. After the approval, the artist began to work.
Icon painters share that when they have to paint icons of new saints, those saints all become very close, just from the awareness that they were people who lived not long ago, who were almost our contemporaries or contemporaries of our parents. The people who knew those saints may still be alive. This very close relationship significantly helps the icon painter in his work, even if he doesn’t have enough detailed information about the saint. As a result, these saints become cherished and valuable acquaintances and companions in the everyday life of the icon painter.
You can order any icon in our studio, even if you do not have any finished samples or the iconography of the saint whose icon you would like to order has not been created yet. To learn more click here
If I may ask, does the St. Elisabeth Convent studio paint icons in languages not typical in Orthodoxy, such as German? I have been looking for iconographers who write in German but have not yet found any. Please let me know either way. Thank you.
Dear Joshua, we paint icons with inscriptions in any language, including German. You can contact us at st.elisabeth.shop@gmail.com and our sisters will provide you with all the necessary information.
Hello Ms Chechko
I just finished reading your article on Unusual Icons of Saints not well known. You answered several questions I have had about how a new icon of a saint is created. And I have also wondered how an icon is created when there are no existing images.
The icons produced through St Elizabeth’s are very beautiful.
I have taken some classes on creating copies of icons and I enjoyed it although I’m not very good. One question I have is this. We were taught in the class is that icons are ‘written’ not painted because icons are intended to educate and inform the viewer who were often illiterate, about a particular Saint. Likewise people who make icons are called icon ‘writers’ not painters.
This is a small point I know. Is what I was taught correct? Are Icons ‘written’? Maybe this is a regional difference or maybe either reference is correct.
Regardless the icons are truly comforting and beautiful.
Thank you, Martha T
Dear Martha,
Thank you for your kind words about our icons and for such a thoughtful question.
You’re right that many people say icons are “written.” That phrasing entered English from Russian and Greek: in Russian, for example, the same verb used for “writing” (pisat’) is also the everyday verb for painting a portrait or an icon. When that was translated literally, “write an icon” appeared in English. In English usage, however—especially in art history and museum catalogues—icons are simply said to be painted.
This is also consistent with traditional Greek terminology: the historic word for an icon-maker is zográphos, which means “painter.” Major museums and Orthodox reference sites use the plain English of painting and painted icons.
So our house style (“painted icons” / “icon painting”) aims to be clear English, faithful to the tradition, and aligned with standard scholarly usage. At the same time, we understand why many like “written”: it poetically highlights that an icon teaches the Faith in colour and line. Both phrasings are heard among Orthodox Christians today; we’ve chosen “painted” for clarity and accuracy in English.
Thank you again for the generous spirit of your note—and for supporting the prayerful craft of iconography.
This was a wonderful article. I enjoyed it very much
Where can I access more concerning the saints and their icons
Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad you enjoyed the article.
For more information about saints and their icons, the website you found (azbyka.ru) is actually one of the best and most comprehensive online resources available. While the site is primarily in Russian, you can use your browser’s built-in translation feature (like Google Translate in Chrome) to translate the pages into English.
The direct link to their section on saints is a great place to start: https://azbyka.ru/days/
You can browse saints by name or by their feast day on the calendar.