Moldova

Icon is a Greek word meaning image. Icons are usually painted on a wooden base known as an icon board. The board consist of several parts bound together at the back by planks. The icon is placed on the face side of the board in a shadow rectangle or square groove (ark). Before painting begins, the board is covered with fabric, primed by a mixture of natural glue and chalk, then coated with an initial layer of dark reddish brown or greenish paint. Where needed, the color is made lighter with ochre or whiting. Radial lines were gold painted on the top of regular paint.

According to costum, an icon artist is expected to be a person of high morals and Christian ideals who prepars for his work by fasting and praying. The iconography is not a creation of the artist’s imagination or whim, but follows a pattern and subject prescribed by church tradition. Sometimes icons had metal covers made for them to protect them from human handing in devotions, to enhace their beauty, or as memorials. The oklads often were made of silver or gilded gold, and the metal was cut out to reveal the painted faces, hands, and feet of the icon beneath. Some oklads were studded with precious gemstones, diamonds, and pearls.

In a church, small icons are set on portable, cloth-drapted lecterns, and large ones are hung on the walls. Beeswax candles are burned nearby, and the icons are kissed, touched, and incense lit in front of them as acts of devotion. Icons are blessed with holy water and carried in processions both inside and outside the church. An icon of one of the 12 special liturgical feast days is often displayed on a lectern in the center of the church, according to the day of the feast. An icon of a special saint whose memory the church is honoring or an icon of the church’ s patron saint may also be placed in this central location. The faithful pray, make the sign of the cross, and display profound reverences, such as bowing, kneeling, kissing, and touching the forehead to the icon. Icons are venerated but never worshipped.

These acts of respect, handed down from ancient cultural traditions, still survive worldwide in the Orthodox Church. In Orthodox homes, icons are displayed in special places of honor. To the Orthodox Christian, an icon is a constant reminder of God’s presence in his church, his home, and his life. Icon painting flourishes in monasteries.