Icons of Founders & Religious

Monks, nuns and the founders of religious orders

Every religious order began with one person who decided to live the Gospel without compromise — and then others followed. St. Anthony the Great went into the Egyptian desert in the third century and became the father of monasticism; St. Benedict wrote the rule that shaped Western monastic life; St. Francis of Assisi gave up everything and rebuilt the Church; St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross renewed the Carmelite order in sixteenth-century Spain.

Reading a religious icon

Members of religious orders are shown in their habit — the black of the Benedictines, the brown of the Franciscans, the white and black of the Dominicans, the brown and white of the Carmelites. Many hold a rule, a book, a crucifix or a lily. Founders are often shown holding a small model of the church or monastery they established.

The saints in this collection

St. Benedict and St. Scholastica; St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare; St. Dominic; St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier; St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross; St. Anthony of Padua; St. Rita of Cascia; St. Catherine of Siena; St. Philip Neri; St. John Vianney, the curé of Ars; St. Louis de Montfort; St. Angela Merici, founder of the Ursulines; and St. Colette of Corbie.

Why these icons are popular

Icons of the founders and of the great religious saints are the most common choice for a home prayer corner, and they are frequently given as name-day gifts. Each icon is printed on alder wood and gilded by hand in Poland; several sizes are available, and larger formats can be ordered for chapels.

Learn more: guides and articles

• Icons of Founders and Religious: Benedict, Francis and Dominic
• What Is the Icon of Saint Teresa