Acheiropoieta — also called icons made without hands — are Christian icons which are said to have come into existence miraculously; not created by a human. Invariably these are images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. The most notable examples that are credited by tradition among the faithful are, in the Eastern church, the Mandylion, also known as the Image of Edessa, and the Hodegetria, and several Russian icons, and in the West the Shroud of Turin, Veil of Veronica, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Manoppello Image. The term is also used of icons that are only regarded as normal human copies of a miraculously created original archetype.
Image of the Saviour Made Without Hands: a traditional Orthodox interpretation of acheiropoieta made by the hands of Simon Ushakov (1658).
God the Father painting Our Lady of Guadalupe, an unusual Marian image, 18th century.
10th century depiction of the legend of King Abgarus of Edessa
The image in its setting in the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs, Rome.
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels. Although especially associated with portrait-style images concentrating on one or two main figures, the term also covers most of the religious images in a variety of artistic media produced by Eastern Christianity, including narrative scenes, usually from the Bible or the lives of saints.
The Ladder of Divine Ascent depicts monks ascending to Jesus in heaven in the top right. 12th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery.
Russian icon of the Holy Trinity
The icon of St Nicolas carved in stone (between c. 12 and 15th centuries), at the Radomysl Castle, in Ukraine.
Luke painting the Theotokos of Vladimir (16th century, Pskov)
