Orthodox Archives – Orthodox Arts Journal

Vladimir Morosan on The Pursuit of Beauty Podcast

By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson | September 9, 2025 |

On two recent episodes of The Pursuit of Beauty podcast, I had the tremendous privilege of interviewing long-time Orthodox Arts Journal contributor Vladimir Morosan. He relates his experiences traveling abroad to the Soviet Union, being given access to photograph thousands of musical scores, and his process smuggling them back to the United States. He founded the…

Georgian Orthodox Chant – Almost Lost Forever, with Dr. John Graham

By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson | August 15, 2025 |

In this conversation with renowned Georgian Orthodox chant expert Dr. John Graham, we discuss the origins, history, and preservation of Georgia’s ancient three-part polyphonic sacred music. Dr. Graham—widely regarded as the foremost English-speaking authority on Georgian Orthodox liturgical chant—explores the early development of this musical tradition, from the creation of the Georgian alphabet and the…

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

By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson | June 19, 2025 |

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…

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

By Andrew Gould | May 17, 2025 |

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.…

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

By Andrew Gould | May 12, 2025 |

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

By Andrew Gould | February 25, 2025 |

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…

Churches of North Macedonia – Monastery of Saint Naum

By Andrew Gould | July 7, 2024 |

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…

What is an Icon – A Response for Philip Davydov

By Vladimir Grygorenko | March 19, 2024 |

Editor’s Note: This open letter was written in response to Philip Davydov’s call for master iconographers to address some fundamental questions about their art and its relationship to the Church. Dear Philip, thank you for the interesting article. It seems to me that the questions you have presented to us are not that difficult to…

Questions for Iconographers

By Philip Davydov | March 13, 2024 |

An Angel from Svaneti (georgia) and a warrior from Vatopaedi monastery (Mount Athos)

Writing this text, I can’t help but feel that it opens up (or continues) a very extensive subject, which will require a lot of effort just to be introduced, and even more effort to be explained, but I will try… On February 12th, 2024 I was invited to the Andrey Rublev Museum in Moscow as…

OAJ Tour of Georgia Led by Andrew Gould

By OAJ EDITORIAL STAFF | December 29, 2023 |

After a fantastic tour of the Balkans last June, the Orthodox Arts Journal is sponsoring a second art and architecture package tour. This tour will last 2 weeks, and will visit all the key sites for medieval architecture, frescoes, and liturgical art in the Republic of Georgia. It will begin in Tbilisi on June 3rd,…