Meaning of Colour in Religious IconographyGold is reserved for Christ and symbolizes divinity. Traditional Iconsare gilded with gold leaf. The gold shines through on the halos and other partsof the Icon. The gold symbolizes the eternal uncreated light of God and hisWhite is used to show heavenly purity and divinity. Icons of theresurrection will often show Christ in white robes pulling Adam and Eve from thedepths. White is also used to depict swaddling clothes of babies, the shrouds ofthe dead and the robes of angels. Purple was the Byzantine symbol of royalty. It is used in icons torepresent Christ's KingdomRed is used in icons to represent humanity and the saving nature of theresurrection. It is the color of blood and thereby signifies life onBlue signifies the heavens and the kingdom of God not on this earth. Byzantine icons of Mary show her with red outer garments and blue ones on theinside. This signifies her original human nature (the red) and her heavenlynature (the blue). In Eastern iconography Mary was depicted in red or brown todepict her as a physical (grounded) being but the earliest icons depict her inblue. It could have depended on the availability of pigment. Lapis Lazuli wasground to create the blue colour and was a very expensiveClothing: Icons of Christ will show him with Blue outer clothing and red innerclothing. Christ's inner garment is red and symbolizes his humanity. His outergarments are blue and symbolize his true divinity. In addition to blue, red andgreen are also reserved for Christ and Virgin Mary. Green is the color of the living earth and has been used to portrayyouth, hope and where life begins. This contrasts to brown which is meant toshow our fallen nature on earth and that we will all eventually becomeBlack is used in Iconography to portray evil and death. Demons andsatanic beings are portrayed in black. However, several religious orders useblack vestments and in this case black is used as part of the traditional dressof the order. The colors of white, gray, blue, green, and light shades of red are usedfor other holy persons.