Questions & Answers

Icons

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship › Icons

The question

What is the significance of the many icons of saints used by the Coptic Orthodox Church?

The answer

Icons are read. Coptic iconography narrates a spiritual document. The colors are vivid and represent royalty and the heavenly. Icons have life with the use of egg tempera in the base. Icons feature persons or angels in frontal views with large eyes symbolizing godly wisdom. Profiles are only used for animals or to depict an evil character.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

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