Orthodox Arts Journal

Churches of North Macedonia – Monastery of Saint Naum

Continuing my photojournalism series highlighting Balkan churches, this post features an especially beloved monastery in North Macedonia – The Monastery of Saint Naum. Saint Naum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and participated in their mission to spread Christianity and literacy in Europe. After completing the Moravian mission, he settled in Bulgaria…

Churches of North Macedonia – Monastery of Saint Naum

Churches of North Macedonia – Saint George in Staro Nagoričane

OAJ Tour of Georgia Led by Andrew Gould

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Making Magnificent Hammer-Crafted Icons; an Interview with Evan Wilson

By Andrew Gould

Gould: You’ve only recently started making icons using chasing and repoussé, yet your first projects are nothing short of magnificent. Can you tell us something about your background, to put this work in context? Wilson: I am a married father of two young sons, living on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. We attend Transfiguration Greek…

Humility

Making Magnificent Hammer-Crafted Icons; an Interview with Evan Wilson

The Memory Keepers

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Znamenny Chant for the 21st Century

By Vladimir Morosan

The subject of this article — the “Znamenny Chantlet Database Project” — is a continuation of a proposal[1] initially unveiled by the author at the 2014 Pan-Orthodox Symposium on Orthodox Composition, held at Northern Kentucky University, and in a paper[2] given in 2015 at the Conference of the International Society of Orthodox Church Musicians…

An Interview with Benedict Sheehan – Vespers, and its Concert Premiere

With Faith and Love; Thoughts on a Russian-American Choral Masterclass

An All-Night Vigil for St. Richard of Wessex: An Old Saint is Venerated Anew

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An American Kouvouklion: A New Design for the Tomb of Christ

By Andrew Gould

Over the years, I have designed numerous furnishings for American Orthodox churches. Because America has a rich tradition of fine furniture making, I have always felt that liturgical woodwork is one of the areas in which America can offer something distinctive to Orthodox culture. When I was asked to design a kouvouklion (the liturgical “tomb”…

Making Magnificent Hammer-Crafted Icons; an Interview with Evan Wilson

Teaching Traditional Ecclesial Pictorial Embroidery

Lecture: Exploring Church as the Center of Our Life

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Beauty First: Envisioning a Civilization Worth Restoring (ARC Roundtable)

By Andrew Gould

In February of this year, over four-thousand people gathered at the ARC Conference in London. Among them were a group of phenomenal Orthodox artists invited by Jonathan Pageau. I gathered many of these artists in our hotel lobby one evening and hosted a roundtable discussion. It was an unprecedented conversation, considering the extraordinary talents present.…

Humility

American Aristocrats: Art, Patronage, and Beauty with Andrew Gould and Dr. Timothy Patitsas

Teaching Iconography in the Twenty-First Century

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Windows to the Divine: Orthodox Icons – an Interview with Seraphim O’Keefe

In this captivating interview, iconographer Seraphim O’Keefe shares his remarkable journey from an unchurched teenager in Virginia to a novice monk in the Republic of Georgia and eventually…

Beauty First: Envisioning a Civilization Worth Restoring (ARC Roundtable)

In February of this year, over four-thousand people gathered at the ARC Conference in London. Among them were a group of phenomenal Orthodox artists invited by Jonathan Pageau.…

An American Kouvouklion: A New Design for the Tomb of Christ

Over the years, I have designed numerous furnishings for American Orthodox churches. Because America has a rich tradition of fine furniture making, I have always felt that liturgical…

Building for the Divine: The Art of Orthodox Architecture with Andrew Gould

In this long-format interview, Andrew Gould discusses numerous aspects of liturgical arts and architecture with Anglican organist Matthew Wilkinson. Our conversation touches upon church architecture, Eastern and Western…

Humility

Icon by Juliania Sokolova VS an icon painted by a student of a school she founded at Moscow Spiritual Academy

If only we could speak to ourselves from the future! How many valuable insights and skills could we have shared with our past selves! On the other hand,…

Making Magnificent Hammer-Crafted Icons; an Interview with Evan Wilson

Gould: You’ve only recently started making icons using chasing and repoussé, yet your first projects are nothing short of magnificent. Can you tell us something about your background,…

American Aristocrats: Art, Patronage, and Beauty with Andrew Gould and Dr. Timothy Patitsas

This video features a discussion I had with Dr. Timothy Patitsas. We discuss liturgical arts, patronage, culture, and the experience of the artist. We delve deep into the…

The Memory Keepers

Svaneti churchkey keeper Yaroslav with his grand son.

This text is not just an article – it’s also a call for a combined effort. We invite you to support our documentary film the on Svaneti frescoes…

Churches of North Macedonia – Monastery of Saint Naum

Continuing my photojournalism series highlighting Balkan churches, this post features an especially beloved monastery in North Macedonia – The Monastery of Saint Naum. Saint Naum was a…

Teaching Iconography in the Twenty-First Century

Study Group final image, - result of 6.5 months of work and studies.

Sharing our teaching method, I invite fellow iconographers to share their views on teaching, as only by approaching this subject from several sides can we foster a new…

The Memory Keepers

This text is not just an article – it’s also a call for a combined effort. We invite you to support our documentary film the on Svaneti frescoes and the dedicated people who maintain them. Help us to preserve Svaneti’s invaluable treasures of Orthodox Christianity for centuries to come. Georgian church art reflects exceptional artistry…

Sacred Arts East and West: A Conversation with Aidan Hart, Jonathan Pageau, and Andrew Gould

The Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) will host a panel discussion with artists and scholars Aidan Hart, Jonathan Pageau, and Andrew Gould, on Monday, April 24, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The event will be moderated by ISA founding director and SVOTS Professor of Systematic Theology Dr Peter Bouteneff and Associate Professor of…

Windows to the Divine: Orthodox Icons – an Interview with Seraphim O’Keefe

In this captivating interview, iconographer Seraphim O’Keefe shares his remarkable journey from an unchurched teenager in Virginia to a novice monk in the Republic of Georgia and eventually a full-time iconographer in the Orthodox Church. He recounts his spiritual awakening through encounters with sacred art and ancient monastic traditions, surviving a 70-foot fall off a cliff while building a monastery, and the transformative challenges of monastic life that led him to embrace iconography as his life’s calling. Seraphim delves into the theology, technique, and symbolism behind Orthodox iconography, discussing the artistic philosophy behind mural work at St. John of the Ladder, the impact of liturgical space on visual design, and how his art draws on Romanesque, Art Nouveau, and ancient Orthodox traditions. A must-watch for anyone interested in sacred art, Orthodox Christianity, and the profound role of beauty in spiritual life.

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Richard Barrett
Fr. Steven Bigham
Andrew Gould
John A. Graham

Aidan Hart
Lynette Hull
Fr. Silouan Justiniano

Markos Kampanis
Nicholas Kotar
Mary Lowell

Fr. Ivan Moody
Vladimir Morosan
Fr. Patrick O’Rourke

Jonathan Pageau
Katherine Sanders
Benedict Sheehan
Federico José Xamist

The purpose of this project is to make available online a collection of graphic illustrations of the highest quality. The collection will focus on iconographic drawings and related graphic ornaments stylistically suited to the illumination of printed Orthodox publications. The project will address the needs of Orthodox book designers, graphic artists, and many others, who desire excellent imagery for their publications.

Learn more and gain access to the images »