Click on the upper half of the Icon for a detail image.
The Icon of Jesus Christ is always placed to the right of the Royal Doors.
He sits at the right hand of the Father and constantly intercedes with the
Father for us. He is our high priest. The halo over Jesus asserts His divinity.
Within the halo is a cruciform shape, the sign of His victory over death.
The letters O W V are Greek.
"He who is," the name of God given to Moses. On either side of the
halo are the letters IC and
XC which are the Greek abbreviations
for Jesus Christ. The right hand of Jesus is raised in blessing and is also
in the form of letters IC XC.
In His left hand, Jesus holds an open Gospel Book with the text: "I am
the Way, the Truth, and the Life," (John 14:6). Jesus is the
only person who holds an open book, because He Himself is the revelation of
the Father. The deep reds of His garments signify the intensity of His love
and purity; His love was so great as to shed His blood for us. The brown in
the garments is the color of the earth, the gold the sign of divinity. In
every way possible the Icon of Christ declares our faith in Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, true God and true man.
