A VERY BEAUTIFUL 16TH CENTURY DOUBLED ICON OF OUR LADY OF GOD, ST. PETER, ARCH ANGEL MIKEL AND ST. PAUL.
A special doubled icon displays our Lady of God at the right top of the icon, St. Peter at the bottom holding the keys of Kingdom of Heaven, Archangel Michael at the left top of the second icon stepping on Satan and at the bottom St. Paul holding the sword with his left hand and the book in the other one.
Handmade Russian icon, Moscow. Late 16th C. (1570-1590)
The icons are in excellent condition, have never been touched or restored.
Size: 28x99 First Icon, second Icon 28x98.5, Both 56 cm, 40x11, Both 22 inch.
This item comes with a certificate from The Israeli Antiquities Authority.
A. St. Peter holding the keys of heaven
the keys of heaven, or the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, that, according to Roman Catholic teaching,[1] Jesus promised to Saint Peter, empowering him to take binding actions.[2] In the Gospel of Matthew 16:19, Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Saint Peter depicted (by Peter Paul Rubens) holding the Keys of Heaven.
The keys of heaven or keys of Saint Peter are seen as a symbol of papal authority: "Behold he [Peter] received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the power of binding and loosing is committed to him, the care of the whole Church and its government is given to him.
B. Archangel Michael
The Book of Revelation (12:7-9) describes a war in heaven in which Michael, being stronger, defeats Satan.[12] After the conflict, Satan is thrown to earth along with the fallen angels, where he ("that ancient serpent called the devil") still tries to "lead the whole world astray".
In the Epistle of Jude 1:9, Michael is referred to as an "archangel" when he again confronts Satan.
A reference to an "archangel" also appears in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians 4:16. This archangel who heralds the second coming of Christ is not named but is often associated with Michael (among others).
In the New Testament Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces in the Book of Revelation, where during the war in heaven he defeats Satan. In the Epistle of Jude Michael is specifically referred to as "the archangel Michael". Catholic sanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was first seen as a healing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil.
C. St. Paul
Recognizing saints: book and sword. The book carried by Saint Paul represents his epistles in the New Testament of the Bible. The sword is a reminder of the means of his martyrdom – he was beheaded in Rome in 67 AD.
