According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus had been imprinted—the first icon. The image is also known as the Mandylion, in Eastern Orthodoxy, it is also known as Acheiropoieton.
According to the account, King Abgar received the Image of Edessa, a likeness of Jesus.
The katholikon of Andronikov Monastery is the oldest (outside the Kremlin) building in Moscow and one of numerous Russian churches dedicated to the Holy Mandylion
The Saviour Not Made by Hands, an icon of the Novgorod School, c. 1100
The Holy Face of Genoa.
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)
