Our Iconography

St. John is blessed to have many beautiful icons, both festal and individual Saints. They are organized below in regard to their type, name, and location within our church.

What are icons?

Icons have been called “windows to heaven,” for this is truly how the Church sees them. Icons go beyond beautiful art; they are instructors of the Faith. They show us individuals who bore the likeness of Christ and events in the history of our salvation. Primarily, icons bear witness to the Incarnation. We are told that not only is their use in our churches and homes permissible, but essential because icons insure our understanding of our salvation.

Why are they so important?

God became a man in the flesh and redeemed humanity and the whole physical world. It is natural to worship with icons because God created, loved and saved the material world by taking on matter in the Person of Jesus Christ. God alone is worshipped, but the Church has given us icons for veneration and as reminders of His presence with us. The faithful have worshipped with them since the early days of Christianity. In fact, St. Luke is said to have written the first icon of the Theotokos.

Why do they look like that?

We say icons are “written” rather than “painted” because icons are two-dimensional; they are not pictures, but representations of saints or events, being void of movement and drama. There are many interesting things to keep in mind while studying icons. Festal icons, for example, often show more than one event associated with the subject in the icon. You may also notice that the heads and body sections of saints are not always proportional. Facial features consist of long noses and small, closed mouths. Foreheads are often high, and fingers are long and slender. These features represent their virtues and Godliness.

A
Abraham,  Sacrifice of
Alexander of Constantinople
Anastasia the Roman
Andrew the Apostle
Anna the Prophetess
Anthony the Great
Athanasius the Great

B
Barbara the Great Martyr
Bartholomew the Apostle
Basil the Great
Benedict of Nursia
Brendan the Navigator
Brighid of Kildare

C
Callinicus the Holy Martyr
Catherine the Great Martyr
Cherubim (a class of angel)
Christina of Tyre

D
Daniel the Prophet
David the King and Prophet

E
Elias the Prophet
Elizabeth the New Martyr
Elizabeth the Mother of the Forerunner
Esther the Righteous
Ezekiel the Prophet

F
Faith

G
Gabriel the Archangel
George the Great Martyr
Gerasimos of Kephallenia
Gregory the Great
Gregory of Palamas
Gregory the Theologian

H
Haralambos the Wonderworker
Helena the Empress
Herman of Alaska
Herman founder of Valaam Monastery
Hope

I
Ignatius of Antioch
Innocent of Alaska
Irene the Great Martyr
Isaac of Syria
Isaiah the Prophet

J
James, son of Alphaeus
James, son of Zebedee
Jeremiah the Prophet
Joachim and Anna
Joanna the Myrrhbearer
John Chrysostom
John of Damascus
John Maximovitch
John the Theologian
John the Forerunner
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph the Betrothed
Jude
Julia of Carthage
Juliana

K
Kevin

L
Love
Lucia
Luke

M
Macarius the Great
Macrina
Marina the Great Martyr
Mark
Mary of Egypt
Mary Magdelene
Matrona the Blind, Eldress of Moscow
Matthew the Apostle
Michael the Archangel
Moses the Black
Moses the Prophet

N
Nectarois of Aegina
Nicholas of Myra
Nikolai Velimirovic
Nonna the Righteous

O
Olympia the New Martyr

P
Panteleimon
Paraskeve of Rome
Patrick of Ireland
Paul the Apostle
Peter the Apostle
Phanourios
Philaret the Almsgiver
Philip the Apostle
Photini
Prochorus

R
Raphael of Brooklyn
Ruth the Righteous

S
Sarah the Righteous
Seraphim (a class of angel)
Seraphim of Sarov
Sergius founder of Valaam Monastery
Silouan
Simeon
Simon the Apostle
Solomon the King
Sophia and her three Daughters
Spyridon
Susannah the Myrrhbearer

T
Thaddaeus the Apostle
Theodora the Empress
Theodore Strateletes
Theophan the Recluse
Thomas the Apostle
Three Holy Youths
Tikhon
Troyen

V
Veronica, the woman with the issue of blood

X
Xenia

Z
Zenobia the Holy Martyr
Zenobius the Holy Martyr