History of Russian Icons

For over 1,000 years Russian Orthodox Christianity inspired and shaped the spiritual and cultural foundation of Russian society. Icons are the manifestation of this faith and include pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints and religious historical events.

Russian icon painting had its greatest period of development between the years 1350 and 1650. Between 1860 and 1880 the production of icons reached massive proportions, with entire towns of painters and craftsmen producing icons.

During the Russian Revolution (1915-1917), the Bolsheviks took power and proclaimed an end to all religious activity, burning icons in public bonfires throughout the country. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the few surviving icons slowly emerged back into public view. Lankton has assembled the largest collection of icons in North America.