The liturgical icon has a theological meaning. It is not a picture created for the joy of the eye, or, to simply remind us of the holy people, just as is the case of the pictures we keep so that they will remind us of the beloved relatives and friends. The icon is painted in a manner that will elevate us from this decaying world and help us feel that new scent of the Kingdom of God.
This is why it has nothing in common with the paintings that physically present certain faces, even if these are the faces /images/ of holy men, such as is the case of the religious art in the West.
On the orthodox icon the holy people are painted undecayably.
This is the reason why the liturgical art is not as alterable as the other human things, but it is constant, just as the Church that manifests it.
The Holy Tradition is a burning pillar that guides it through the desert of the inconstant world. This seems strange to the people of this age for they are incapable of diving into the depth of the spiritual sea, but only swim on the surface of the senses, thrown back and forth by the waves and carried by the whirlpools.
© Dormition Monastery
