What icons are canonical, and which are non-canonical? What should be done with non-canonical icons acquired before joining the Old Believer faith that are very dear to one’s heart?

What icons are canonical, and which are non-canonical? What should be done with non-canonical icons acquired before joining the Old Believer faith that are very dear to one’s heart? #

The ancient canons of the Orthodox Church do not strictly regulate the forms, types, techniques, or materials used to create sacred images, except for specific prohibitions. For instance, the 82nd Canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council forbids depicting Christ as a lamb, and the Stoglavy Sobor (Chapter 41-1) commands that icons be painted “according to the ancient models, as the Greek iconographers painted, and as Andrei Rublev and other renowned iconographers painted.” It specifies that they should follow the ancient examples and not be based on “one’s own imagination” (Stoglavy Sobor, Chapter 43). Therefore, it is not permissible to paint icons using live models or in a style that is non-iconographic and more secular or worldly. Additionally, the Holy Fathers prohibited using fragile, short-lived materials for icons, as such negligence can lead to the sacred image deteriorating easily, which demonstrates a lack of reverence for the work of God. This negligence is condemned in Scripture (see Jeremiah 48:10).

Moreover, Christians should not pray before images of individuals recognized as saints not by the true Church but by heretical groups.

If you have an icon of a “non-saintly saint,” meaning someone canonized by non-Orthodox rather than Old Believer Orthodox Christians, it is best to return it to those who venerate it—namely, the heretical group.

If you possess an icon of a saint venerated in our Church but painted “not according to the model,” meaning in an unorthodox style, you should do the same—return it to the community from which it originated. In extreme cases, if these icons are “dear to your heart,” you could, after consulting with your spiritual father, keep them at home as mere decorative paintings, not as icons for prayer. However, I would recommend not clinging to personal habits or attachments that weaken the soul but instead fostering strictness in spiritual life rather than emotional sentimentality. From this perspective, it is better not to keep such images at home at all.

In any case, this matter should be resolved with the advice and blessing of your spiritual father.

— Archpriest Vadim Korovin