Picha takatifu

* ni picha ya karne ya 12 inayoonyesha wamonaki wakipanda kwa Yesu mbinguni, Monasteri ya Mt. Katerina, Sinai.]]
 ya Utatu Mtakatifu iliyoiga ile maarufu ya Andrei Rublev.]]
" dhidi ya wapingapicha chini ya malkia Theodora na mwanae kaisari Mikaeli III. Picha takatifu ya karne ya 14 mwishoni – 15 mwanzoni.]]
 iliyochongwa jiweni kati ya karne ya 12 na karne ya 15, Radomysl Castle, Ukraine]]

**Picha takatifu** (pia "ikona" kutoka Kigiriki εἰκών, *eikōn* "picha" kwa kupitia Kiingereza *icon*) kwa kawaida ni mchoro unaoheshimiwa kidini hasa katika Ukristo wa Mashariki lakini pia katika madhehebu mbalimbali ya Ukristo wa Magharibi, kama vile Kanisa la Kilatini.  

Mara nyingi picha hizo zinamhusu Yesu, Bikira Maria, watakatifu wengine, malaika na msalaba. 

"Sanaa ya Kikristo" inatajwa kwanza kati ya karne ya 2 na karne ya 3 katika maandishi ya Tertuliani (160 hivi - 220) na Klemens wa Aleksandria (150 hivi - 212).

Matumizi ya picha hizo yalipingwa na baadhi ya Wakristo, hasa wa mashariki, baada ya Uislamu kutokea na kuenea katika maeneo yao. Hapo kaisari Leo III wa dola la Roma Mashariki alikataza picha hizo ili kujilinganisha na Waislamu na kujenga uhusiano mzuri nao.

Kumbe wamonaki na Wakristo wengine wengi walipinga katazo hilo. Ndio mwanzo wa mabishano makubwa yasiyoishia katika hoja na maandishi, bali yalichukua uhai wa watu, hasa waliodhulumiwa na serikali. 

Hatimaye Mtaguso wa pili wa Nisea (787) ulithibitisha uhalali wa picha hizo na wa heshima ambazo zinapewa, kama ulivyotetewa hasa na mtakatifu Mwarabu Yohane wa Damasko.

Pamoja na kwamba picha takatifu zinasema na mioyo ya waamini wanyofu, mara nyingi utaalamu wa ikonografia unahitajika hasa katika kufafanua picha takatifu za Ukristo wa Mashariki, kwa kuwa hizo hazilengi kuiga sura halisi zinavyoonekana na macho, bali kudokeza mafumbo ya imani ili kuona yasiyoonekana.

## Tanbihi
## Marejeo
*Beckwith, John, *Early Christian and Byzantine Art*, Penguin History of Art (now Yale), 2nd edn. 1979, ISBN 0-14-056033-5

## Marejeo mengine
*
*

## Viungo vya nje 
### Waorthodoksi 
*Orthodox Iconography by Elias Damianakis
*A Discourse in Iconography by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco 
*The Iconic and Symbolic in Orthodox Iconography
*Icon & worship - Icons of Karakallou Monastery, Mt.Athos 
*Contemporary Byzantine icon studio, iconography school and orthodox resources 
*Iconography Guide -free eLearning site 
*Orthodox iconography by Fr. Theodore Koufos 
*On the difference of Western Religious Art and Orthodox Iconography 
*Church of the Nativity - Explanation of Orthodox Christian Icons
*Concerning the Veneration of Icons
*Holy Icons: Theology in Color (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese)
*Icons by Sergei Fyodorov

### Wakatoliki 
*"Veneration of Images" article from *The Catholic Encyclopedia*
**Age of spirituality : late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century'' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

### Picha 
*Icons of Mount Athos
*Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: Icons
*Gallery of icons, murals and mosaics (mostly Russian) from 11th to 20th century
*www.eikonografos.com A huge collection of Byzantine Icons
*Contemporary Orthodox Byzantine style murals. Large gallery.