Icons of Popes & Bishops

Successors of the apostles

Bishops stand in an unbroken line from the apostles, and the Bishop of Rome — the pope — is the first among them. The icons in this collection honour the men who governed the Church, defended its teaching and, in many cases, died for it.

Attributes of a bishop or pope in an icon

Bishops are shown with the mitre, the crozier (the shepherd's staff), the pallium and the pectoral cross; a pope may also wear the triple tiara or the fisherman's ring. The book they carry is usually the Gospel — or, for the great teachers, their own writings.

The saints in this collection

St. Gregory the Great and St. Leo the Great, who shaped the Church of the first millennium; St. Nicholas of Myra, the most beloved bishop of all, patron of children and sailors; St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales, bishops of the Catholic reform; St. Patrick and St. David of Wales, apostles of Ireland and Wales; St. Stanislaus, St. Adalbert and St. Bruno of Querfurt, bishop-martyrs of Central Europe; St. John Paul II, the most recent pope-saint; and the Doctors of the Church — St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Athanasius, St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom and St. Irenaeus.

Sizes and finish

All icons are printed on a solid alder wood board and finished by hand with genuine gold leaf. Smaller formats suit a desk or a small prayer corner; larger and cathedral formats can be made to order for churches and chapels.

Learn more: guides and articles

• Icons of Popes and Bishops: Nicholas, Gregory and John Paul II
• Saint Symbols: How to Recognize Saints in Icons