St Seraphim’s Chapel is open daily to all From 9am – 5pm. The chapel contains a rich display of icons and the icon gallery contains many artefacts pertaining to Icon painting as well as original icons by the walsingham icon painters.

The building

St Seraphim’s Chapel is open daily to all visitors. The dome on the roof is a symbol of the flame of prayer from the people and gives a clue there is a chapel below. There is a heritage display in the porch, including a brief history of the station. The Icon Gallery is one of the only Icon museums in the UK. It contains many artefacts pertaining to Icon painting and holds a large collection of original Icons many painted by the Walsingham Iconographers. The gallery is only open by appointment.

An enquiry service is also available for access to the collections and archives for research and engagement by prior arrangement.

The first icon is the Mandylion (Veronica’s Veil) on the front of the tower, under which all pass as they enter the building. On the Icon screen Christ and the Mother of God are on either side of the Royal doors. The four Gospel writers are below the icon of the Annunciation. Archangels Michael and Gabriel guard the way into the Altar. St Seraphim is on the right hand side and St Nicholas on the left, behind the candle holders where candles are lit for the living. The Russian cross on the right hand wall reminds us to pray for the departed.

A Service is held annually on the Feast of St. Seraphim – July 19th New Style.

Iconography

Orthodox iconography has developed alongside the Orthodox faith as a central aspect of religious experience. Icons are not worshipped, but rather venerated. The focus is not on the physical object but their position as a window or door between two distinct realities.

While Orthodoxy has a strong association with Greece and Russia, which differ in their historical trajectories and in the regional traditions which have developed through time, other countries such as Romania, Armenia and Egypt have their own Orthodox Churches and idiosyncratic iconographic styles.

However, the similarities between them are more important than differences reflecting the time or place in which they were made. Those they depict – such as Saints, the Mother of God and Christ – have characteristics which are based on traditional canons, certain colours and materials are symbolically important and they are united in their roles as mediators between the earthly and the divine.

Father David and Leon

Leon Liddament and Father David began painting icons for a living in the 1960’s and continued up to Father David’s death in 1993 and Leon’s in 2010. Memory Eternal!

Their work was has been commissioned by individuals and churches all over the world, as well as closer to home. In Walsingham you may also see their work in the Catholic Shrine’s Chapel of Reconciliation, the Orthodox Chapel in the Anglican Shrine and Church of the Holy Transfiguration in Great Walsingham.

Both iconographers used traditional methods of egg tempera painting and developed their own distinct styles. They drew their inspiration from both Greek and Russian sources, as well as Celtic ornamentation. This allowed them to develop an iconography which satisfied their own spirituality as well as those who bought their icons.

They placed particular emphasis on the early British saints in their work, such as St Columba and St Alban. Through their liturgical activities, their iconography centred on the core beliefs of the Orthodox Christian faith.

Icon Heritage

St. Seraphim’s Trust wishes to build on the long tradition of traditional Orthodox Icon painting carried out by Leon Liddament (above) and Father David over 40 years. Their commitment to painting Icons of local and British Saints is of particular importance, and their Icons can be found all over the world as well as the British Isles. The Trust aims to provide information about the role of icons in Orthodox worship and the home, and the traditional methods for their creation. 

.Above: Leon painting the Nativity.

Right: Father David.

The orthodox church

The Orthodox faith is Evangelical; it is a simple faith, in accordance with the Gospel. We worship Jesus Christ as God, together with the Father and the Spirit, the Holy Consubstantial and Undivided Trinity. We do not think in terms of ‘the historical Jesus’, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

When we hear the Gospel read in church, we stand alongside the disciples and the people of Galilee and Jerusalem and hear Christ speaking to us TODAY.

With the publican we repent, with the lepers we are healed, with His Mother we stand by the Cross, with the Myrrh bearing Women we worship the Risen Lord and as from Mount Tabor so here in Walsingham we go forth to bring the Gospel to all creation.

Every Sunday of the year is celebrated as Resurrection day when the Glory of the Risen Lord shines upon us.

Image: Christ Pantocrator by Mike Dixon.

The Orthodox Faith has been passed on and taught by the Orthodox, Catholic and Apostolic Church, was planted and nourished in the east and has spread from the east into all the universe and remains even so to this day, undivided and unchanged.

Icon Gallery

How an Icon is made

Icons by the Trust’s iconographers were painted (or written) using traditional methods and materials and consists of the following stages:

The Panel

The panel is traditionally of wood. Plywood or MDF (medium density fibre board) is often used as cheaper options, especially for large panels, but the longevity of these as a support is unknown. We know that icons on wood have survived many centuries but MDF and plywood are inventions of the twentieth century so only time will tell. The board is sized with an animal based glue and allowed to dry.

The Ground

This is made of gesso, which is the Italian word for gypsum, or calcium sulphate. The gesso is made by mixing the gypsum, or whiting powder, in an animal based glue such as rabbit skin glue or gelatin. Several coats of gesso are then applied with a brush and allowed to dry between coats. Usually at least 8 coats of gesso are needed to make a good ground.
The ground is then smoothed with an abrasive paper or scraper. The resulting surface is white and smooth and is the only suitable surface for painting in egg tempera.

The Drawing

A line drawing is made of the icon to be painted and this is transferred to the gessoed panel by coating the back of the drawing with a powder pigment and tracing with a suitable instrument. The drawing is then brushed over with ink to make it more stable for painting.

The Gilding

Usually the haloes and (if required) the background are then gilded. This may be oil gilded (using transfer gold) or water gilded using layers of bole (a type of red clay) and gold leaf. In either case real gold is used. Water gilding allows tooling (embossing) of the gold and finishing with olipha. If oil gilding is used then the icon may be finished with shellac or a proprietary varnish.

The Painting

The icon is painted with pure powdered pigments, mainly earth colours, which are mixed (tempered) with egg yolk. The dark colours are painted first and then the lighter colours are added. Any very small gold details are then added. Finally the face and hands are painted – this brings the whole icon to life.

Finishing

The icon is then allowed to dry for a few weeks and is then be coated with a varnish for protection. The varnish is usually olipha, which is a mixture of refined linseed oil and stand oil.