Gabriel
Along
with Michael, the Archangel Gabriel is one of the most popular angels in Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, and we see his icon on the door to the right in the
iconostasis of all Orthodox churches (see Michael
for more about this).
Gabri'el means
"God's Strong man" and in all three religions his main function is as God's
messenger. In the Old Testament he tells the prophet Daniel about the last
weeks of the world, in Islam he tells Mohammed the whole Quran and in Christianity
he announces to the Virgin Mary that she will be the Mother of God. For more
about this as well as icons of the Annunciation, go to Mary.
He is also the angel who tells Zachariah that he will have a son, John the
Baptist, and later Orthodox traditions tell he came to Mary much later in
life to prepare her for her imminent death (see Mary).
In
icons, Gabriel is depicted in a cloak and he often holds a lily in his hand,
which is a symbol of his message to Mary. In apocalyptic icons, he is seen
blowing a horn, thus giving the signal for the great battle between good and
evil.
Gabriel's
function as a messenger has made him the patron of postal workers and anyone
working with signal systems or telecommunication. In Greece, Gabriel and Michael
are celebrated on November 8.
For our guided tours to this church, please click here.