<P> Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely . Most Orthodox homes have an area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall, where are hung many icons . Icons have been part of Orthodox Christianity since the beginning of the church . </P> <P> Icons are often illuminated by a candle or oil lamp . (Beeswax for candles and olive oil for lamps are preferred because they are natural and burn cleanly .) Besides the practical purpose of making icons visible in an otherwise dark church, both candles and oil lamps symbolise the Light of the World, who is Christ . </P> <P> Tales of miraculous icons are not uncommon, though it has always been considered that the message of such an event was for the immediate faithful involved and therefore does not usually attract crowds . Some miraculous icons whose reputations span long periods of time nevertheless become objects of pilgrimage along with the places where they are kept . As several Orthodox theologians and saints have explored in the past, the icon's miraculous nature is found not in the material, but in the glory of the saint who is depicted . The icon is a window, in the words of Paul Florensky, that actually participates in the glory of what it represents . </P> <P> An iconostasis, also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church . Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church . The modern iconostasis evolved from the Byzantine templon in the 11th century . The evolution of the iconostasis probably owes a great deal to 14th - century Hesychast mysticism and the wood - carving genius of the Russian Orthodox Church . </P>

Name of the eastern branch of the christian church from the greek words meaning correct belief