An Iconic Weekend in Chicago

We spent last weekend in Chicago. A nice visit. We visited with family and spent some time in the city.

In our part of the world - (the Midwest) we've had probably some of the nicest summer weather that I can remember.

I visited a couple of interesting places in the city:

1. Old St. Patrick's Church on West Adams.

This beautiful church survived the Chicago fire and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It's full of Celtic art and is lit through an array of gorgeous stained glass windows (like the "Trinity" window at left.)

I attended midday Mass on Friday, and considering it was a workday, right before a holiday, it was fairly well attended.

2. The Athenian Candle Store in Greektown (300 S. Halsted)

This store is one of those rare eclectic places that you often only find in big cities. I can browse around in stores like this for hours -

"...(it) features every other sort of religious and pagan item, including jewelry, mojo bags, myrrh and frankincense, Buddha statues, protective herbs and oils, sprays, soap; there's 'Sweet Georgia Brown' pomade, holograms of the pope, portraits, Greek and Turkish 'evil eye' stones, tarot cards, books ('The 18 Absent Years of Jesus Christ'), prayer books, door mezuzahs, horseshoes and powders."

- from the Metromix website

THE POWER OF "WINDOWS"

The Athenian Candle Store had quite a stock of Byzantine Icons and they were very reasonably priced -

I found this Silver Plated Icon of the Theotokos there - a real treasure!

When it comes to religious art and paraphernalia - I'm a fanatic. You might say I'm addicted!! I find it fascinating that throughout history - all religions have sought to communicate with the unknowable divine through the multi-layered, symbolic imagery of art.

In Orthodox Christianity the incarnation of Christ is seen as the transformation and renewal of the material world. The indwelling presence of the divine has now transformed material things into a vehicle of the divine - not as idolatrous images - but as representations of the divine. The divine is re-presented (or made present again) through the Icon.


I've always found it to be a fascinating coincidence (?) that in the world of computers - communication is facilitated through a desktop "icon," that serves as a "window" into another world, beyond that of the two-dimensional, flat screen computer image.

Icons are commonly referred to as "Windows into Heaven."

Skilled Iconographers do not refer to the process of creating Icons as painting, but as "writing." The significance of this is based on the belief that Icons are representations of the Word - "which became flesh." Therefore, Icons have the nature of written representations of events or people in the life of Christ. The Icon serves as a window into the event - a means for meditation. This is why Icons are venerated by the Orthodox - they are kissed like familiar family photos.

Chicago is a great place for making memories and finding treasure - which I often find are the same thing.