Icons

Orthodox icon of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (3), by Theophanis the Cretan (1540), Church of Protato Karyes Mount Athos.

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of the Entrance of Theotokos to the Temple (4).

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of the Entrance of Theotokos into the Temple icon (5).

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of the Entrance of Theotokos into the Temple (6).  Icon of 13 cent. Chilandari Monastery Mount Athos.

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of Entrance of Theotokos into the Temple (8). Fresco of 11 cent. Monastery of Daphni, Athens, Greece.

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of Entrance of Theotokos into the Temple (9). Icon of 12 cent. Greece.

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox icon of the Entrance of Theotokos into the Temple (10). Icon of 13 cent. Decani Monastery, Serbia.

Commemorated November 21.

Orthodox Icon of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Commemorated September 14th.

After 300 years under the Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), Life-Creating Cross and the Holy Sepulcher were again discovered and opened for veneration. Desiring to find the Holy Cross, St Constantine sent his mother Helen (May 21), to Jerusalem, giving her a letter to St Macarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Upon arrival she gave orders to destroy the pagan temple and the statues in Jerusalem. It was an elderly Hebrew by the name of Jude who showed her that the Cross was buried where the temple of Venus stood.

They demolished temple and began to excavate the ground. Soon the Tomb of the Lord was uncovered. Not far from it were three crosses, a board with the inscription ordered by Pilate, and four nails which had pierced the Lord's Body. To determine which of the three crosses was Jesus crucified, Patriarch Macarius alternately touched the crosses to a corpse. When the Cross of the Lord touched, he came to life.

This con everyone was convinced that the convinced everyone that the Life-Creating Cross was found. A large number of Christians came to venerate the Holy Cross, beseeching St Macarius to elevate the Cross, so that even those far off might reverently contemplate it. The Patriarch with other spiritual leaders raised up the Holy Cross, and the people, cried out Lord have mercy and reverently prostrated before it.

Helen journeyed to other holy places connected with the earthly life of the Jesus, building more than 80 churches, including one at Bethlehem the birthplace of Christ, and on the Mount of Olives where the Lord ascended to Heaven, and at Gethsemane where the Savior prayed before His sufferings and where the Mother of God was buried after her death. Part of the Life-Creating Cross and nails were taken by Helen to Constantinople. Constantine built a large church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, also including under its roof the Life-Giving Tomb of the Lord and Golgotha.

The temple was constructed in about ten years. St Helen fell asleep in the Lord before the dedication of the temple. The church was consecrated on September 13, 335. On the following day, September 14, the festal celebration of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross was established.

Orthodox icon of Ezekiel the Prophet icon. Icon of 12 cent. Mount Athos.

Notice: the sizes of the icon are not exact.

Commemorated July 23

The Prophet Ezekiel ("God is strong") was the son of Buzi and a priest by rank. He was taken captive and brought to Babylon during the reign of Jechonias. In the fifth year of this captivity, about 594 or 593 B.C., he began to prophesy. Having prophesied for about twenty-eight years, he was murdered, it is said, by the tribe of Gad, because he reproached them for their idolatry. His book of prophecy, divided into forty-eight chapters, is ranked third among the greater Prophets. It is richly filled with mystical imagery and marvelous prophetic visions and allegories, of which the dread Chariot of Cherubim described in the first Chapter is the most famous; in the "gate that was shut," through which the Lord alone entered, he darkly foretold of the Word's Incarnation from the Virgin (44:1-3); through the "dry bones" that came to life again (37:1-14), he prophesied both of the restoration of captive Israel, and the general resurrection of our race.

Reference: G.O.A.A.

Orthodox icon of the First Ecumenical Council.

Commemorated May 29.

The first Ecumenical Council was held in Nicea, Asia Minor in 325 under Emperor Constantine the Great. 318 Bishops were present. It was called to deal with a controversy about the nature of Christ called the Arian controversy. Arius was a presbyter who denied the divinity of Christ.He taught that if Jesus was born, then there was time when He did not exist. If He became God, then there was time when He was not.

The Council defended Apostolic Tradition and declared Arius' teaching a heresy, unacceptable to the Church and decreed that Christ is truly God as well as truly human. He is of the same essence "homoousios" with God the Father.