The Holy Family Christian Icon – Aged Edge Wood

Description

The icon of the Holy Family depicts the Virgin Mary, a young Jesus, and Saint Joseph embracing together in a family-style portrait. The icon exists in both the Orthodox and Catholic faiths, but is more popular Catholic iconography. Notably, icons and artwork depicting the Holy Family became popular in Roman Catholic countries from the 16th century onward and are seen as symbolizing the idea of the “terrestrial trinity.” The “terrestrial trinity” is seen as representing an earthly version of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this icon, Mary and Joseph are holding the baby Jesus, with Mary leaning toward the Son as He reaches up, tenderly caressing her face. Above Mary are the letters ‘ΜΡ ΘΥ’, which means Mother of God in Greek. The Virgin Mary is depicted wearing red and dark blue, as is typical of depictions of the Virgin Mary. The dark blue symbolizes the joining of the heavens with the earth, while the red symbolizes love, life and sacrifice. Joseph is shown wearing green and blue robes, with green symbolizing Saint Joseph’s devotion to God.