Icons of saints and their significance in the Orthodox religion and culture

In Orthodoxy and Catholicism, icons are images of saints and their deeds. Since both these religious trends originate from the early Christian churches, the icons of the saints and their significance also came from the depths of the centuries. It is not just an image of a saint or his deed in the name of faith, it is a symbol that should help a person to understand the spiritual depth, to find support in it.

In the Catholic faith, images of saints and martyrs became more artistic in the course of time, they left the symbolism, they became more expressive of feelings and emotions. The saints were portrayed as ordinary people who could find their way to faith, remained faithful to it to the end.

Orthodox icons and their meaning remained the same. They preserved the ancient traditions of symbolism. Every little thing has its value, even the folds on the clothes. The faces are never depicted as suffering or suffering, only spiritualized joy as a reward for perseverance and patience: the main virtues in the Orthodox faith. Value also has color, gestures and objects. For example, a hand pressed to the chest means empathy and empathy. If the hand is lifted up, then it calls for repentance. Both hands raised upwards are a request for help and heavenly intercession.

Icons of saints and their significance are different not only in the symbolism of the depicted things and gestures, but also in practical help, which the image of a martyr, saint or blessed person can have. Each icon helps in a particular case. For example, the icons of Nicholas the Miracle-Worker are probably the most popular in Russia. He is considered the patron saint of seafarers, travelers, merchants and children. You can apply to it if there is a serious life problem. And recently the image of Nicholas the Miracle-Worker became mandatory for every second driver, even if he is not very religious.

There are ancient icons of saints, and their significance lies in the fact that they are "prayed" for centuries, hundreds of thousands of people. This is illustrated by the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the patroness of our capital and all of Russia. With this image, the Russian army was attacking the Borodino field. They say that in 1941, when the German troops came close to Moscow, Stalin permitted a religious procession around the capital in a miraculous manner.

There are modern icons of saints, and their significance from the fact that they belong to a new era has not diminished. This primarily applies to the image of Matrona
Moscow. By the face of the saints it was ranked in 1999. But she was revered during her lifetime. The Matron was born in the late 19th century in the village of Sebino, in the 1920s she moved to Moscow and there she helped everyone who needed it, despite the fact that she herself was blind from birth, and later could not walk because of leg illness. She had the gift of healing and foresight. Blessed died in 1952 and bequeathed that people would come to her grave, tell about their sorrows, and she will help them. So it happened, the image of Matrona Moskovskaya began to be considered miraculous. To her, both seriously ill people and people who have serious life problems seek help.