Why do famous religious leaders love Christianity Art icons?
It is the spiritual strength of Christianity Art icons, together with their undoubted artistic value. Christianity Art Icons incorporate the timeless rules of Byzantine Iconography, something that is highly praised among great religious, political and state leaders across the world.It is not a coincidence that high-profile Leaders and Christianity Hierarchs have embraced Christianity Art icons, and declare them as their first choice when it comes to personal use, or use in landmark buildings, or as gifts to VIP friends and more.
What is it though that makes Christianity Art Byzantine icons, that are created by our accomplished iconographers, so special that they are unique worldwide, and are sought after by well-established political and religious leaders?
▪ First of all, they are original: All Christianity Art Holy Icons are authentic, original, and unique. Production is far from industrialised and is characterised by personal care, spiritual value and unique symbolism.
▪ Respect to Byzantine and Orthodox Iconography rules: All Christianity Art Iconographers are deeply knowledgeable, and have exquisite style, hence excelling in depicting in the most accurate and inspired way the symbolisms of the Orthodox Faith.
▪ Artistic and collectible value: Christianity Art icons, apart from being items of worship, they are Art pieces of high artistic and collectible value, and feature in places of high aesthetic value.
Original icons in the hands of unique people in History
The icon of the Nativity of Christ is an icon that famous leaders of Christianity or of the international political stage have held in their hands, have placed in their offices or have gifted to well-respected peers: it is a timeless masterpiece with a legacy, that is worth gifting to your loved ones, a gift for life, that shows your love and appreciation for them.
A unique gift, a precious copy of the original icon that Christianity Art gifted to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the year 2000, during the festivities for the Jubilee year that marked 2000 years from Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. This icon, which was displayed in that Holy place until 2010, and was venerated by all humanity, was created with reverence and quality equal to the holiness of the place, by one of the iconographers of Christianity Art.
This gift was accepted by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem with gerat honour. The Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros I asked for the icon to be reproduced so that he could gift it to the great political and religious leaders of the time that honoured the celebrations with their presence; Pope John II, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the then Archibishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos, as well as all the Orthodox Patriarchs and Archbishops of the Orthodox world, and many state leaders, such as the then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, received as a gift a numbered piece which was a true copy of the original item.
As it is clear in the picture, Pope John II is holding a true copy of the original icon of the Nativity, a creation of Christianity Art, offered to him by the Metropolitan of Vostra Timotheos, while he had also been given a set of hieratic pectorals – another Christianity Art creation – as a gift, by the then Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros. Another similar set of hieratic pectorals was gifted to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew by the then Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros.
A historic moment for Christianity Art was when the Patriarch of Alexandria Theodoros met with the Chair of Christianity Art, when the latter visited Alexandria, and discussed with him the importance of icons, and their timeless and uniwue value.
When the then Patriarch of Alexandria Parthenios visited Athens, he offered a Christianity Art creation as a gift to the then Prime Minister of Greece, Konstantinos Mitsotakis: an icon of Panayia Glykophilousa ("Sweet-kissing" or "Loving Kindness"). During the same visit to Athens, the then Patriarch of Alexandria offered a masterpiece-icon to the former Prime Minister of Greece, Andreas Papandreou, who also embraced the spiritual, artistic and collectible value of the icons of Christianity Art.
A landmark moment in the history of the greatest Orthodox icon producing business in the world, was when the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos offered a Christianity Art creation as a gift to both Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The latter, in a historic visit to Crete, at the Holy Monastery of Toplou, accepted the icon of Panayia as a gift by the Abbot of the Monastery of Toplou; another creation of Christianity Art. The Chair of Christianity Art was present and met with the Patriarch.
For those present at the inaugural ceremony of Christianity Art’s new gallery and shop, it was the Abbot Ephraim of Vatopaidi who spoke about the Holy icons with great respect and spirituality, to the Chair of Christianity Art, while the Metropolitan of Dodoni Chrysostome was also present.
When Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev venerated an icon-creation of Christianity Art
Boris Yeltsin, one of Russia’s great political leaders, held a Christianity Art icon in his hands and returned home with it. But it is not only him. Another historic Russian political leader, one of the great reformers of the Soviet Union, its President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, accompanied by his wife Raisa Gorbacheva, in their historic visit to Greece in 1993, accepted as a gift by the President of the Medical Association of Athens, a Christianity Art creation.
Other prominent VIPs who own Christianity Art icons include the following members of Royalty: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, when he visited Jerusalem, was given a Christianity Art icon of the Holy Sepulchre as a gift by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, while the Queen of Spain owns unique pieces from the collection of Christianity Art.
