VOUTSINAS’ ICON
PAINTING HOUSE
Voutsinas’ Icon Painting House was founded in 1965 in Thessaloniki by the late icon painter Christophanis Voutsinas. Chr. Voutsinas first trained in icon painting as an apprentice to the late icon painter and artist Pantelis Panopoulos, whom he succeeded, maintaining the same icon painting workshop that has been operating in Thessaloniki since 1910.
Later the forces of the Icon Painting House were joined by Christophanis’ daughter: Andromachi, a graduate of the School of Fine Arts of Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki. Andromachi has been actively involved in icon painting for almost three decades.
An icon painter’s work is multi-aspected and complex in theory as well as artistic practice. Icon painters either adopt old model types, respecting accuracy and faithfulness, or develop their own composition designs and representations following the mandates of tradition but adding original touches of their own, similar to the old Byzantine masters of the craft.
Against this background, Voutsinas’ Icon Painting House has established close cooperation with the academic staff of the School of Theology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
In 1999, an icon painting exhibition was organised at the New York Hilton, under the auspices of the Greek Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs.
In 2000, Voutsinas’ Icon Painting House held an icon painting exhibition in Istanbul, in the context of the lay persons-clergy Assembly of the Ecumenical Throne, under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In 2007, a painting exhibition of House works was held in Istanbul in the context of the 2nd Conference of Orthodox Youth titled ‘Members of the Church – Citizens of the World’.
The artists’ workshop is an incubator for future icon painters, where students and aids who contribute to the work of icon painting in Holy Churches are initiated into the secrets of the craft of icon painting.
Numerous works by House artists belong to private collections in Europe and many portable icons adorn Catholic cathedrals. House artists have created mural frescoes in numerous Holy Churches, not only in Greece, but also abroad. Their works can be found in the following Holy Churches:
Greece
- Ιερός Μητροπολιτικός Ναός Αγίου Γρηγορίου του Παλαμά, Θεσσαλονίκης.
- Ιερός Μητροπολιτικός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής, Λαγκαδά Θεσσαλονίκης.
- Ιερός Ναός Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου, Λαγκαδά Θεσσαλονίκης.
- Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Φανερωμένης, Μηχανιώνα Θεσσαλονίκης
- Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Gregorius Palamas, Thessaloniki
- Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Paraskevi, Lagadas, Thessaloniki.
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Lagadas, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of Panagia Faneromeni, Michaniona, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Panteleimon, Ampelokipoi, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Panteleimon, Polychni, Thessaloniki
- Holy Patriarchal Church of St. Andrew, Mediterranean Cosmos, Thessaloniki
- Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, H.M. of Neapolis, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Saviour, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Paul, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Paul, Charitable fraternity, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Mamas, H.M. of Polygyros, Halkidiki
- Holy Church of St. Nikitas, H.M. of Polygyros, Halkidiki
- Holy Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. John the Baptist, National Papafio Orphanage, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of Agioi Anargyroi, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. George, Kalochori, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Sindos, Thessaloniki
- Holy Church of St. Christopher, Farsa, Cephalonia
- Holy Church of St. Constantine and St. Eleni, Kozani
- Holy Church of St. George, Giannitsa
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Finikas, Thessaloniki
- Holy Monastic Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, Chortiatis
- Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin, H.M. of Maronia and Komotini
Germany
- Holy Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Bonn, Holy Metropolis of Germany
- Church of the Holy Disciples, Dortmund
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Saviour, Berlin
- Holy Church of Agioi Pantes (All Saints), Munich
- Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Köln
- Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin, Esslingen, Stuttgart
- Holy Church of St. Dimitrios, Aachen
- Holy Church of Treis Ierarches, Hanover
- Holy Church of St. George, Wiesbaden
- Holy Church of St. Nektarios, Neuss
USA
- Holy Church of St. Prodromos, Las Vegas
- Holy Church of St. Nectarios
- Holy Church of St. Dimitrios, Chicago
- Holy Church of St. Spyridon, Los Angeles
Cuba
Holy Church of St. Nikolas, Havana
Venezuela
Israel
- Holy Monastery of the Archangels, Jaffa, Tel Aviv
Great Britain
- Holy Church of St. Nikolas, London
- Holy Church of St. Dimitrios, London
- Holy Church of Agioi Anargyroi, London
