The Importance of Iconography in Catholic Catechesis
By: Aidan Mcintosh
Tags: Catholic, Christianity, Art, Prayer, Religion

When you hear the term ‘church art’ or ‘church aesthetics’, what are some images that pop up in your mind? For those of us in the Latin Catholic rite, the predominant rite of the Catholic Church, it’s fairly simple: stained glass, fancy arcs, beautiful altars, statues of the saints, maybe the Stations of the Cross, etc. Outside of our own churches, we can think of all the beautiful paintings lining the walls of Italy’s museums and point to them for great examples of Catholic artwork. There is little doubt of their value as sacred art- an overlapping theological term - but is it the definitive type of art of the Church?

A form of sacred art that is less known among Latin Catholics is the icon. An icon (from the Greek eikón) is a type of religious artwork, usually a two-dimensional painting on wood, that is common in religious devotion. While icons are most frequently associated with Eastern Christianity — the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Eastern Catholic churches, and the Oriental Orthodox churches — they are not completely uncommon in the Latin Church. Icons are different in many ways from Latin Catholic art from the middle ages; one important difference is the key set of rules an iconographer must follow to ensure great symbolism in his icons.

Notably, icons have traditionally served as sacramentals, defined by the Church as “sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments”, in the Divine Liturgy and lesser religious devotions, and there is rich theology behind each and every icon that often gets ignored.

The concept of the Biblia pauperum — the Bible of the Poor — correlates with one use of iconography: religious education for the illiterate. While western incorporation of the Biblia pauperum often involves events in the Bible, icons commonly depict Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the saints, angels, and prophets, but some focus on Biblical scenes. Yes, we can walk into a Melkite or Byzantine Catholic parish and marvel at the beautiful icons, but it is important to realize that they are more than just artwork.

Christ Pantokrator (Christ All-Powerful from Greek), oldest surviving Pantokrator icon from the sixth century

The Christ Pantokrator is an excellent example to introduce iconography as it is one of the oldest known and most recognizable icons. This icon is particularly rich with symbolism in its theology and thus serves as catechesis — the teaching and instruction of the true faith.

Upon admiring this icon for the first time, would you expect there to be a lesson about the Hypostatic Union, the Christological dogma that Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine? The Pantokrator emerged after the ecumenical councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon that affirmed the Hypostatic Union, among other elements of Christology. From the viewer’s angle, the left side of Christ represents His divinity: His hand stretching outwards, always symbolizing a blessing, the stern eye and intense colors. The right side (viewer’s angle) represents His humanity, as signified by a thick and embroidered Gospel book, lighter colors, and His hair swept behind His shoulder. The icon is jarring not only in its intensity — the living God staring at us — but in its asymmetry.

Dual composites of Christ Pantokrator

The above icon shows dual composites that help to reveal more of the complexity behind a seemingly simple icon. One important feature of every icon that is seen directly here is the use of halos around the heads of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints, angels, and prophets. The symbolism here is fairly straightforward: the triumph of light, brought into the world by Jesus Christ, and the great holiness of whoever is depicted in the icon.

One additional icon that represents the important catechetical value of this type of sacred art is Andrei Rublev’s 15th century The Trinity:

Andrei Rublev, The Trinity

The most famous Russian icon, The Trinity (also known as The Hospitality of Abraham) portrays the scene from Genesis 18:1–8 where three angels visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. This icon also represents the Holy Trinity and portrays one of the first direct examples of the Trinity in Scripture. But what is it about the Trinity that makes the dogma something personal and relevant to Christian spirituality? The icon dives into the dynamic and loving nature of the Trinity that governs all of our prayers and, essentially, the mission of the Church. The choice of colors depicts the fullness of the Trinity, in divine truth, revelation, and love, and the manna on the white table represents the Eucharist. But this icon is deeply personal and intimate, as the Eucharistic sacrifice is, because the seat at the table closest to the viewer is open with the manna also closest to us. For those who could not read the scriptures and the foundational documents of Christian doctrine in Russia icons like The Trinity were instrumental in catechesis.

What is the importance of visual catechesis in contemporary times? If most people are literate and the Bible is widely available through print and the Internet, then should icons and other types of sacred art still be used when instructing others in the faith? What purpose do they serve, if any?

There are many arguments in favor of using icons in catechesis in modern times, but two principal ones are that they aid with living out the faith in practice, not just in education, and they lift up the eyes and the soul to God as the center of our lives when used in devotion.

Icons often look abstract and odd because Byzantine artwork is very different from the Renaissance artwork that is standard in the west. But there is no denying that icons are not well-done works of art. Iconographers are subject to strict codes, not solely in terms of how to paint and portray important aspects of the saint or Christ, but even in how they pray. Monks with a vocation to iconography do not produce icons for the artistic pursuit in itself, but they do it out of prayer and undergo intense prayer and fasting because the icon is more than just mere artwork when it is a sacramental. It is not so much the monk painting an icon, but God guiding his hands in production.

Religious instruction that only focuses on doctrine and magisterial teaching is not religious instruction at all. We learn about teachings and divine revelation of the Holy Spirit through the catechism. But we learn about how to be Christians and live out the fullness of the Catholic faith outside of the classroom. As iconographers are intense in their work and seek not to serve themselves (most icons go unsigned), the call to live an intense lifestyle devoted to Jesus Christ must be matched with intense prayer and contemplation, which icons aid us with.

Humans learn by art and by the visual input. Jesus Christ did not become incarnate through audio alone or through a hologram. God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ for our salvation, conquering death for us. We are made in God’s image. Reading Scripture and theological texts is spiritually fruitful, but what will excite the faith if our only source of faith is through small print? A full theological instruction will educate Catholics on why they should be Catholic and show them how to be Catholic; they go hand-in-hand, and using icons for prayer, meditation and contemplation of these ‘windows to heaven’ is necessary.

St. John Damascene writes, “Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of God . . . and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled.” To avoid being armchair Catholics, we must grow our faith in the Lord and adore His glory that is showcased in the fruits of the monastics since the 3rd century.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,

Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God — the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ, who “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature,” in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier — (CCC 2502)

The use of icons in the Mass, whether Novus Ordo or Tridentine, is never seen. However, icons are prominent in the Divine Liturgy of Eastern churches. A big difference between Roman and Greek churches is the altar; the iconostasis is a crucial part of devotion in Eastern Christianity, separating the eucharistic sanctuary from the nave (central part of the church). A wall of icons, the iconostasis is nothing short of stunning and rightly guides the heart and soul to heaven as they concentrate on the absolute glory of God in His Son, the Christ, and the saints who have built up the Church.

The iconostas in Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Winnipeg, MB

The Mass, or the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine rite, is heaven on earth. For the faithful to view Mass this way, instead of a mere Sunday outing, there must be something aesthetically grabbing in the center (and good CCD catechists, among other factors). In church architecture, every complex detail of a church guides the mind towards things above in the heavens. The Eucharistic sacrifice, the climax and heart of the Mass, occurs in the Eucharistic sanctuary, at the altar and around the altar. In liturgical context, icons are invaluable for preparing the soul to receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and to prepare for the life of the world to come. And even in private religious devotion outside Mass, icons are necessary to contemplate on God’s glory and raise our senses up to this glory. Icons are also important in preaching the Gospel, as words and images illuminate each other.

The Second Council of Nicaea explains:

We declare that we preserve intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect each other’s meaning — (COD 111)

To venerate the sacred art of icons is not to violate God’s command and commit idolatry, as the heresy of iconoclasm falsely clung to, but it is to serve God, enhance the faith, and preach the Gospel of the Incarnation and Christ’s army of saints to the masses. As Catholics, we have many differences from the Eastern Orthodox church and glorifying the sacred icons should not force us to convert, but for the sake of our Church and growing the Kingdom of Heaven, it is worthwhile to preserve this ancient practice and enhance our devotions to God in the fullness of the Holy Trinity.