Northern Byzantine icons' sheds new light on icons, a cultural heritage that we have received from the east. The eastern poin of view has often been overlooked in the predominantly western-influenced Finland of today. The tradition of holy images that developed in Byzantium in the Early Middle Ages spread northward in the course of the centuries, along with Christianity itself - reaching Kiev, Novgorod, Karelia and Finland, even Alaska. The 8 authors of this book explore this tradition, including the men and women depicted in the icons as well as those reseraching them. Temporally the articles span from the 16th century to the 21st. The text is complemented by the colour illustration. - The mystical and diverse culture of Byzantium offers an inexhaustible source of material, even to us today.