Measured icon
Measured icon or a full-length icon, it is a special icon, which is painted on a board matching a baby’s height at birth. A Saint Patron, given a baby at Christening, is depicted in full length.
If a baby sees his patron’s image, reads about his life and prays him then he is accustomed to faith and prayer since childhood. God’s grace fills his heart and arouses a wish to imitate his celestial patron, to become better, purer and kinder.
Atoniy, mitropolite of Surozh, wisely said about it:
“A child should be let into protection, saving and prayers of his saint patron… We are called after saints who lived their lives and fulfilled their mission on the earth; we are devoted them like churches are devoted one or another saint; so we should think about the meaning of our names and personality of the saint. Because the saint is not only our man of prayer, protector and defender but also an example what kind of person we could be. We cannot repeat anybody’s life, but we can learn from a saint’s (or even of a sinner’s) life to live in proper manner and to be worthy God.”
If a baby sees his patron’s image, reads about his life and prays him then he is accustomed to faith and prayer since childhood. God’s grace fills his heart and arouses a wish to imitate his celestial patron, to become better, purer and kinder.
Atoniy, mitropolite of Surozh, wisely said about it:
“A child should be let into protection, saving and prayers of his saint patron… We are called after saints who lived their lives and fulfilled their mission on the earth; we are devoted them like churches are devoted one or another saint; so we should think about the meaning of our names and personality of the saint. Because the saint is not only our man of prayer, protector and defender but also an example what kind of person we could be. We cannot repeat anybody’s life, but we can learn from a saint’s (or even of a sinner’s) life to live in proper manner and to be worthy God.”