ICONS
The icon invites veneration. This veneration is founded on the certitude of the incarnation of God in man, Jesus of Nazareth. The ineffable is revealed and becomes visible through the human, and therefore it is possible to represent it in the icon. The icon is a sign of the presence of God. It represents the divine personages and saints whom we can pray to in order to raise the mind and heart to God.
The painting of icons is a divine service, and the sister-iconographer prepares herself for this service through fasting and prayer. By the reading and meditation of the Holy Scriptures she seeks the disposition to paint through lines and colors the divine holiness. Every color used, every detail of the drawing, has a precise meaning in icons.
The icons are created in several different techniques by the sisters of Bethlehem: hand-painted originals on wood, embossed tin metal, and frescoes, and fine reproductions of original icons mounted on wood.
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Our hand-painted icons are “written” according to the traditional technique which is always a cooperation between the iconographer and the Holy Spirit. It is why, even though each icon is written according to traditional Church “canons,” they are always unique.
The embossed tin icons are created on wood boards that are covered with tin metal “repoussé” that has been worked by hand. The icons are adorned with colored enamel. This style of artwork is very ancient and goes back to the first centuries of the Christian era.
The fresco icons are hand painted by a sister in a style of fresco painting. These beautiful icons are textured artwork appearing similar to ancient works painted on walls.
The mounted icons are created from quality reproductions of ancient icons and are printed on museum quality art paper with high quality pigment-based inks. The reproductions are mounted on birch veneered plywood and varnished for protection.
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We offer on this site some icons already made. But we can also write new icons according to your wish, of Christ, Our Lady, Saints and Angels and feasts, according to the canons of the Church. These canons ensure that these icons are really expressive of the Theology of the Church as they are traditionally called “theology in color”. A new icon may require a few months to be completed.
