A Benedictine monk teaches an iconography workshop, helping students connect more deeply with the mystery of faith.
Fr. Alex Echeandía Loro, centre, a Benedictine monk and master iconographer from Peru, led an iconography workshop on 19 June at Saint Louis Priory School in Creve Coeur. Behind Fr. Alex were Karen Pfeifer, Mary Claire MacDonald, Joshua Dixon, and Daniela Diz.
Photo credits: Jacob Wiegand
Fr. Alex Echeandía Loro has shared his love for iconography around the world, from his native Peru to Colombia, England, Ukraine, and now St. Louis.
The Benedictine monk and master iconographer visited Saint Louis Priory School in June for a week-long workshop on icon writing. He came at the invitation of the Priorate’s director, Father Cuthbert Elliott, OSB, who became friends with Father Alex during his monastic studies in Oxford, England, years ago.
Ten participants honed their skills in an art classroom at the Priory. At the end of the week, participants took home a handmade icon of Christ Pantocrator, a representation of Christ as almighty ruler: Creator, Saviour and Judge. It was one of the earliest images of Christ, dating from approximately the sixth century.
While learning the techniques for writing an icon, the students spent time in prayer and reflection and, hopefully, completed the workshop with a greater appreciation for the spiritual aspects of iconography, Father Alex said.
“I hope it improves their prayer,” he said. “The iconographer becomes an instrument, a means of grace. When you talk about icons, you are really connecting with a mystery. That mystery becomes very deep if you pray in front of it.”
A microcosm of creation
The students began by preparing an 8-by-10-inch piece of non-resinous wood (which Father Alex acquired in Romania) with thin layers of plaster, which acts as a primer. Using a printed image, they traced the face of Christ with a drawing pencil and transferred it to the wood.
Using an oil-based adhesive, gold leaf was applied to the wood to illuminate three areas behind Christ’s head to represent the cross that appears in the icon of Christ Pantocrator.
Joshua Dixon, professor of theology at Saint Louis Priory School, worked on painting the icon of Christ Pantocrator on 23 June. While painting the icon, participants were encouraged to pray throughout the process.
Photo credits: Jacob Wiegand
The students used tempera paint mixed with egg yolk, vinegar, and powdered pigments derived from natural sources, such as stone and earth, which Father Alex obtained in the United Kingdom.
The iconography dates back to the early Church and became prominent in the Eastern Church. The images found in the Christian catacombs of Rome, dating from approximately the second century, are believed to be some of the oldest icons.
‘They painted what they believed when they were persecuted,’ said Father Alex. ‘They painted the mysteries: Christ the Good Shepherd, the Annunciation, different paintings on the walls. It was a way of communicating what we believe.’
From Peru to master iconographer
Fr. Alex got into iconography almost 20 years ago and trained for six months as a novice in Guatapé, Medellín, Colombia. He continued his training at the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in England and at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine.
Fr. Alex uses his talents to support the Benedictine Monastery of the Incarnation in Lima, Peru, where he serves as superior of the community. The proceeds from commissioned works and workshops he has conducted in the United Kingdom, and now in St. Louis, support the community in Lima.
Fr. Alex said some people describe an icon as a ‘window,’ where one can enter into the mystery of faith through contemplation. ‘Different icons show you different scenes of eternity,’ he said. ‘You can use your reasoning, your mind, to understand the icon and then pray through it, and also be captured by its beauty.’
Others describe iconography as a ‘door,’ because the mystery comes to you. ‘God comes to you through the contemplation of the icon,’ he said. Prayer is not ‘a monologue about the things you have done in your life, or need, or regret.’
The iconography workshop at St. Louis Priory School introduces students to the mysteries of faith, beauty, and truth in religious art.
Fr. Alex blessed the icons of Christ Pantocrator painted during an iconography workshop on 23 June at Saint Louis Priory School in Creve Coeur. Joining Fr. Alex were Brother Symeon Gillette, OSB, a monk from Saint Louis Abbey, and Amber Dennison, a parishioner at St. Anselm.
Photo credits: Jacob Wiegand
Iconography presents an opportunity to open the door and receive the word of God. ‘It’s more than looking at a pretty picture, it’s more about listening,’ said Father Alex. ‘And it’s necessary to develop that side of prayer; we forget about the second part.’
The Liturgy of the Hours and the sacraments define and direct Father Alex’s life in a cycle of ‘Ora et Labora’ (prayer and work), according to the Rule of St. Benedict. Writing icons is a reflection of those two elements: prayer and the work of human hands, he said.
A lesson on the virtue of patience
Amber Dennison learned about the workshop through the newsletter of her parish, St. Anselm in Creve Coeur. She entered the Catholic Church 25 years ago when she married her husband. Iconography, and saints, in fact, were not something she learned much about in her Protestant upbringing.
“I wanted to learn more about the history of icons,” she said. She also said she has found herself paying more attention to the details of an icon and the meaning behind them. “Like in the image of Perpetual Help, (Jesus’) shoes are hanging off Him,” she said. “I wonder why that is. They have stories behind them, and there’s a lot of thought put into it. It’s a way of expressing your faith in an image.”
Karen Pfeifer of St. Nicholas Parish in O’Fallon, Illinois, is an accomplished calligrapher (she is president of the St. Louis Calligraphy Guild) and always wanted to try her hand at iconography.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by them, and they seem so simple to do… but when you really look at them with an artist’s eye, I think you see that it’s not so simple,’ Pfeifer said. “Having a visual image, it’s not that you’re worshipping the image, but it helps you visualise that person’s life and what it meant to others as they went through their trials and became saints.”
There are clear parallels between the process of writing an icon and faith, said Jon-Pierre Mitchom, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Priory, who also participated in the workshop.
Take, for example, the fine layers of paint that are applied as part of the process of writing an icon and how that could be compared to the subtle ways in which God is moving in our lives, he said.
“Many times we don’t realise how God is moving in our lives,” Mitchom said. “This has taught me a lot about the virtue of patience, the subtleties of the process and how that relates to our walk with God. Over time, those subtleties can have a big impact.”
Jon-Pierre Mitchom, director of equity and inclusion at Saint Louis Priory School, spoke with Brother Symeon Gillette, OSB, during the iconography workshop. Mitchom said of learning to paint an icon: “This has taught me a lot about the virtue of patience, the subtleties of the process, and how that relates to our walk with God. Over time, those subtleties can have a big impact.”
Photo credits: Jacob Wiegand
The technique of applying thin layers of paint is “almost like you have to have faith that you’re doing it,” said Mary Claire MacDonald, who teaches medieval arts at Priory. “You can’t see it, but once you can do it again, you barely see it. And then you do it again, and suddenly, it’s like, wow, that’s huge.”
MacDonald has previous experience painting icons and said the process is an exercise in the virtue of patience. ‘It’s deeply comforting and a physical reminder of God’s presence,’ she said.
>> How to pray with an icon
Benedictine Father Alex Echeandia Loro offers these tips for praying with an icon:
• Learn to interpret an icon: Everything in an icon is symbolic and points to a spiritual truth about God. Icons of saints often incorporate symbols that create a spiritual “portrait,” reflecting attributes or events that contributed to the person’s holiness. Father Alex pointed out that icons are ‘written,’ which means that one needs to learn to ‘read’ them by learning the meaning behind the details. This increases the significance of the time spent in prayer.
• Look for meaning in facial features: Each icon relates to the main Icon, Christ. The facial features of Mary and the saints often feature a small mouth, representing Christ’s prudence. In contrast, the eyes and ears are larger than the mouth, showing that they are listening to the Word through the Holy Spirit and contemplating the Beatific Vision. ‘The saints are always contemplating God because they are saints,’ Father Alex said. ‘You can enter into that dimension through their features.’
• Contemplate: It is important to leave space to listen to what the Lord may be saying through the icon. Remain silent during your prayer and open to the Lord’s guidance. ‘He wants to manifest himself through the image,’ said Father Alex. ‘When someone is praying in front of the icon, they encounter the mysteries of Christ and the saints.’
Brother Symeon Gillette, OSB, a monk at St. Louis Abbey, placed an icon of Christ Pantocrator on a table with other icons from an iconography workshop on 23 June. The image of Christ Pantocrator is an image of an all-powerful Christ and dates from approximately the 6th century. Photo credit: Jacob Wiegand
Christ as Pantocrator, meaning ‘almighty’ or ‘all-powerful,’ is one of the most recognisable representations of Jesus, the oldest of which is believed to be a 6th-century icon in St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, Egypt.
Pantocrator is derived from the Greek words pas (‘all’) and kratos (“power” or ‘strength’). The icon depicts Christ as an all-powerful ruler: Creator, Saviour, and Judge. The representation of His face contributes to the idea that God sees everything. His eyes and expression are generally stern and distant.
In one version of the icon, Christ holds the New Testament in His left hand and makes a gesture of blessing or teaching with His right. His name is written on either side of His head with IC and XC.
Rules and prayers for iconographers
• Before you begin working, make the sign of the cross, pray silently, and forgive your enemies.
• Work carefully on every detail of your icon, as if you were working in front of the Lord himself.
• While working, pray to strengthen yourself physically and spiritually; avoid all useless words and remain silent.
• Pray in particular to the saint whose face you are painting. Keep your mind free from distractions and the saint will be close to you.
• When your icon is finished, thank God for his mercy in granting you the grace to paint the holy image.
• Have your icon blessed by placing it on the sacred table of your parish church. Be the first to pray before it, before giving it to others.