The most
literal
translation
of the word
εικονογραφία
(eikonographia)
is "image
writing,"
leading many
English-speaking
Orthodox
Christians
to insist
that icons
are not
"painted"
but rather
"written."
From there,
further
explanations
are given
that icons
are to be
understood
in a manner
similar to
Holy
Scripture—that
is, they are
not simply
artistic
compositions
but rather
are
witnesses to
the truth
the way
Scripture
is. Far from
being
imaginative
creations of
the
iconographer,
they are
more like
scribal
copies of
the Bible.
Since the Byzantine Empire, Orthodox Slavs, in addition to the cross, also worn wore on chest miniature icons. Pectoral icons were made from various types of metals: copper, bronze, silver. Common people wore under clothing icons made from wood, bone, copper, iron. The rich courtiers and nobles commissioned the silver and gold icons and richly decorated them with jewels and pearls. Widely used was hot enamel.
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