What do we do to remind us of people who are dear to us? One way is to place pictures of them in prominent places in our homes. This is one way in which icons are used in an Orthodox Church, to remind us of the persons they depict. It is for this reason that Orthodox Christians kiss icons and place flowers and candles before them. It is not to show honor to an idol of wood and paint, but to the person who is pictured in the icon.
Icons are usually painted in an ancient art form called Byzantine Art which does not try to make a true picture of the subject, but to convey a higher spiritual reality. Therefore icons are not only used to “make real” the presence of the person they depict, but also to teach. Icons have often been called “sermons in color”.
