Do Orthodox Have Anything Like Holy Cards?

[ravynangel1980]

Hi,

As a Roman Catholic, I've always loved holy cards. I have a lot of them. I've got some that I keep on my devotional/prayer table all the time. Some of the others I will place there if it's a particular saint's feast day or I'm seeking their intercession. Do Orthodox Christians have anything like holy cards? I wasn't sure if maybe they had something like an icon card. Do they? Where are some good websites to buy them from? Thank you. God bless.

Sincerely,
Sarah

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Hmm, I have cards from EO funerals that have an icon on one side and the name of the deceased and a prayer on the other.

Is this what you're referring to?

[Petronius]

No. We do have icons. Some may look like cards, are small to be kept in wallets, pockets or as big as post card. I have laminated them to be more resistant.
You may look at them as cards, but these (ours, orthodox) are small icons icons. We use the diminutive from icon to call the, a gramatical lexical category disappeared from the English. These are printed and are reproductions of existing icons, either painted or stamped in silver or gold.

[MariaRegina]

We do have small icon cards that resemble your holy cards of saints.

[MariaRegina]

Hmm, I have cards from EO funerals that have an icon on one side and the name of the deceased and a prayer on the other.

Is this what you're referring to?

If you look on the back of the Icon cards used in funerals many are printed in Italy. Nevertheless they are holy icons, and I have seen some beautiful ones.

[Michael the Iconographer]

If you look on the back of the Icon cards used in funerals many are printed in Italy. Nevertheless they are holy icons, and I have seen some beautiful ones.

Romanesque painting is still considered to be iconography, and that was produced in Italy until the 13th C. The west did not totally party with iconographic art until the beginning of the Gothic and subsequent styles of art.

[Annoula]

what's a holy card?? can someone show me one???

[Petronius]

If you look on the back of the Icon cards used in funerals many are printed in Italy. Nevertheless they are holy icons, and I have seen some beautiful ones.

What I onsider to be an icon, either small, looking like a card considering the dimensions, I buy from churches or monasteries or stores of for church "equipment". This stores are run by the Church itself. I am sure that a sort of blessing was performed.
Otherwise there are only reproductions of saints.... Too conservative ?

[MariaRegina]

What I onsider to be an icon, either small, looking like a card considering the dimensions, I buy from churches or monasteries or stores of for church "equipment". This stores are run by the Church itself. I am sure that a sort of blessing was performed.
Otherwise there are only reproductions of saints.... Too conservative ?

We always bring our Icons which we purchase from the monasteries to our church to be blessed.

At end of the CarpoRussian Orthodox Catholic Church (ACROD) summer camp one year, the priests distributed paper icons of the Theotokos (holy cards as members of the Roman Catholic Church would call them). Suddenly they started to weep myrrh, very fragrant myrrh. The children took them home and were asked to bring them to the Sunday Divine Liturgy the next day. They did so, and the whole church was filled with an exquisite aroma of heavenly flowers. The paper cards were so limp due to the oil weeping from them that they had to be supported beneath on cardboard.

[holyorders]

what's a holy card?? can someone show me one???
http://www.catholicstore.com/images/products/8341lg.jpg (http://www.catholicstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=17992)

[Petronius]

We always bring our Icons which we purchase from the monasteries to our church to be blessed.



I do the same if not bought in a church or monastery.

[ByzantineDixie]

Here are some "holy card like" icons from Light and Life Publishing (no prayers on back):

http://www.light-n-life.com/images/products/CARD039.jpg http://www.light-n-life.com/images/products/CARD044.jpg

And also from Light and Life there are a number of laminated prayer cards with prayers on the back, like this.

http://www.light-n-life.com/images/products/LAMI102.jpg

I like to get these and send them in cards and letters.

[Khaleas]

I haven't seen too many around here but in Russia you could buy ones that are the same size and material as a credit card with saints on them and a prayer/troparia/kontakion on the back. I have one of these with St Xenia of St Petersburg (my patron) in my wallet.
Another thing I also carry is Sofrino (the Moscow Patriarchal church's store) has little wallet size (they're like two credit card size) calendars with the church calendar (fast days, feast days etc in different colors to differentiate) printed on the back, and an icon on the front.

Welcome here to TAW, btw!!!! :wave:

[ravynangel1980]

Hi!

Thanks everyone. This was something I was wondering. I know a lot of Catholics who have holy cards. I've always had quite a lot of them myself. Plus there were always some saints that I could find a holy card of that I couldn't find a statue or a framed picture of. I mentioned how I use them. I wasn't sure if the Orthodox had something similar or not. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll have to check out Light and Life to see what they have.

Blessings,
Sarah