Melpo M. DeFotis

THOUGHTS FROM MELPO ON ICONS:

"The icon is a sacred, liturgical form that reflects the beauty of the world transfigured.

Iconography's foundation is the Incarnation of Christ, the source of salvation, and icons are the predominant theological component of Orthodox Christian church architecture. This connection of human and divine allows us to see God and His saints.

An icon, however, does not portray images in a natural way, but rather with stylization and reverse perspective to draw a person into a deeper spiritual understanding.

The light of Tabor is in every icon through the use of gold leaf, which shows us a transfigured image in eternity. The viewer is thus uplifted to the saint, through prayer, and tries to follow a life in Christ, who is present in every icon."