Archangel Michael as 'Icon'

Byzantine art and culture were essentially religious in character and the primary aim of Byzantine art was to capture that which was holy and mysterious in a concrete form such as icons. Due to Archangel Michael's popularity among the Judeo-Christian angels in Greek society, the functions and status of Michael as 'icon' in a Greek Orthodox context are specifically examined. The subject of this study, therefore, focuses on the perception of Archangel Michael as an 'icon' in the pure Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Orthodox context of a 'theological art picture; a religious, sacred image', subject to the theological and artistic Byzantine prescriptions.