“With a deep sense of responsibility and respect for the tradition and knowledge bequeathed to us by the enlightened Holy Fathers, we will attempt to convey in this book the secrets of the iconographic art in a simple way.

In this effort, we will be aided by the long-term study and experience gained from organizing a series of courses aimed at preserving the iconographic art as part of the educational programs of the Benaki Museum and the Athens College.

Our intention is to decode and convey to the reader the deepest essence and contribution of iconographic art to Christian worship with the utmost fidelity.

By understanding the symbolic rules of the images, the illustrator is given the opportunity, through their brush, to convey the divine teaching in its purest form, as our tradition has preserved it to this day.

Each image carries its own message, each color has its own meaning, and every stage of the image's construction is part of creation through symbolism.

In the pages of this book, we will refer to the depiction of the single-figure portable icon. This series will be completed with two more books, where the depiction of full-body forms and the illustration of portable icons of the Twelve Feast Days (composite portable icons of the altar screen) will be developed.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]