look at this artefact. what do you think? what do you see? © farmington trust: caroline pitcathley

Look at this artefact.What do you think? What do you

see?© Farmington Trust: Caroline Pitcathley

Now what can be in here?

Is that a secret entrance?

Where do you think it goes?

What could be hidden in there?

© Farmington Trust: Caroline Pitcathley

Here’s a view from further away


Where in Scotland?

Whithorn

Whithorn is in the south of Scotland. The cave and cross we saw before are from this area.


Saint Ninian 7th Century• Saint Ninian was Scotland’s first saint.

• There was nothing written about him while he was alive, so we have to rely on stories written about him after he had died for information about him.

• Saint Ninian was the Bishop of Whithorn.

• Saint Ninian’s major shrine is in Galloway, in the South of Scotland where we are told he cured many people.


IconThrough the centuries artists have helped to spread the message of Christianity.

This art work is called an icon.

The word ‘icon’ comes from the Greek for ‘image’.

There were rules for painting icons.The icon had no frame and was normally painted on wood.There were no shadows.The image appears bright because it has a layer of goldleaf painted on it.The gold was to represent the presence of God as light.


How is an icon painted?• Many icon painters were monks and nuns.• Icons were painted after much prayer, refection and

meditation.• Icon painters never signed their work because they

believed they were working in co-operation with the Holy Spirit.

• They believed that the icon they painted revealed something of the Holy Spirit.

• Nowadays we don’t speak of someone ‘painting’ an icon.

• Instead we say that an icon is ‘written’ by the iconographer.


How does an icon help us to pray?

• The figure in an icon seems to be gazing at us.

• The icon holds our attention.

• We can meditate on the ‘information’ in the icon.

• If we sit in silence we can ‘hear’ in our hearts what it is trying to say.


look at this artefact. what do you think? what do you see? © farmington trust: caroline pitcathley

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