The depiction of the birth of Jesus

The hagiographies constitute for the Orthodox Church the way the faithful come into contact with the one or those depicted in the icon and feel their impact in their life. They are a means of worship and for many a source of inspiration and creation, a source of protection and care. In each icon we can "read" the message of the Saint, we are experiencing the message of the scene it depicts. Such a picture, full of "messages" is the icon of the birth of Christ.

The individual figures, the setting and the symbolisms.
The black cave in triangular shape which is the setting out of which the manger appears or the setting that emphasizes the manger, represents the pre-Christian world which, for the hagiographer, is dark and black but also Hades, since the birth of Christ came to shine light, Virgin Mary brings into the world the Hyperousios (the one beyond matter) and earth in turn offers a cavern to the Inaccessible. The lying baby in its swaddling clothes, refers to the icon of the Resurrection with the swaddled Jesus who defies death and Hades shudders. The light shines in the darkness and the light above the baby emphasizes in an even more dramatic note the coexistence of light and darkness. Virgin Mary, dressed in dark purple, is the one that admits the birth of Her child, which is the act of Her goodwill and Her faith to God. The plan for the salvation of the People was accomplished with Ηer own consent. The ox and the donkey, the two animals next to the manger refer to the word of Isaiah: “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3) The shepherd is the one who calls the "reasonable" sheep to come out away from death, into life. Common in all the hagiographies of the birth of Christ, is Prophet Isaiah, whose prophecies turn into life with the existence of Jesus. Joseph, on the left side of Virgin Mary, always pensive, always thoughtful. In many hagiographies, evil stands in front him willing to put bad thoughts in his mind. The Angels, with their heads turned up on high, towards the source of light, are engaged in a continuous, uninterrupted hymn to God.

The icon of the birth from Iconotechniki
The birth of Christ represented in the icon of “Iconotechniki”, is a copy of an icon located in the cave of Bethlehem, perhaps the most important shrine of Christianity. It is designed and imprinted in various dimensions and materials, while the one among them that stands out is the icon of birth in oval shape. An excellent proposal for a manger, as Christmas gift, for your home or for the homes of your loved ones.