Byzantine Icon Veneration Tradition

Timeline

1. 843–1204Constantinople · ConstantinopleThe 843 feast of the restoration of icons established the lawful status of images in public worship and private devotion; church theology emphasized that icons present Christ and the saints through color and line, turning the viewer toward the divine prototype, forming strict iconographic norms and workshop traditions.
2. 1261–1380Thessaly and Macedonian monasteries · MacedoniaAfter Michael VIII's recapture of Constantinople in 1261, Palaiologan icon painting displayed softer figure modeling and complex backgrounds; monastic workshops in Macedonia and mainland Greece flourished, and Hesychasm theology also influenced contemplative image practice.
3. 1381–1390Constantinople and Mount Athos · AthosIn the 1380s, with Byzantine territory greatly contracted, churches in Constantinople under John V Palaiologos and John VII still displayed mosaics and movable icons; workshops on Mount Athos and in Crete continued the egg tempera tradition, supplying images to the surrounding Orthodox world.