An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary,
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)
Aniconism is the absence of material representations of the natural world and the supernatural in various cultures. Most denominations of Christianity have not generally practiced aniconism, or the av
A simple cross replaced a mosaic figure during the Byzantine iconoclasm, Hagia Irene Church in Istanbul
Print of the destruction in the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp by Calvinists, the "signature event" of the Beeldenstorm, August 20, 1566, by Frans Hogenberg
Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Interior of Saint Bavo, Haarlem, 1631, a medieval cathedral stripped bare after it adopted the Reformed faith.
St Severin, Keitum, a German Lutheran church that retains its pre-Reformation carved altarpiece as well as other smaller post-Reformation paintings.