Knowra Christian art Christian art Visual art made for Christian communities or expressing Christian beliefs, narratives, figures, and devotional practices. It spans sacred images, architecture, objects, and works for public or private devotion.
Christian iconography : The study and use of images, symbols, and attributes to represent Christian figures and ideas. Identifies recurring visual signs such as the lamb, halo, and cross.
Icon : A sacred image, especially in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, depicting Christ, Mary, or a saint. Icons make devotional presence through a conventional, often portable image format.
Early Christian art : Christian visual culture produced from the second through the sixth centuries, especially around the Mediterranean. Its catacomb paintings and sarcophagi establish early forms of Christian imagery.
Byzantine art : The art produced in the Byzantine Empire and its cultural sphere from late antiquity to 1453. Its mosaics and icons shaped enduring Orthodox visual traditions.
Aniconism : The avoidance or prohibition of figurative images, especially in religious settings. Aniconic approaches challenge traditions that use sacred figures in worship.
Bible : The collection of sacred texts central to Judaism and Christianity, with distinct canons and interpretations. Its narratives and poetic texts supply subjects for Christian images.
Altarpiece : A painted, sculpted, or mixed-media artwork placed behind or above a Christian altar. Its placement links imagery to the Eucharist and the altar's liturgical focus.
Catacomb of Priscilla : An ancient Christian burial complex in Rome containing some of the earliest Christian paintings. Its frescoes show how biblical subjects entered funerary art.
Gothic art : The art of medieval Europe associated with Gothic architecture, sculpture, painting, and stained glass. Cathedral programs brought biblical imagery into monumental urban spaces.
Protestant Reformation : The sixteenth-century movement that divided Western Christianity and established Protestant churches. Reformers' differing views on images reshaped church interiors and commissions.
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