Christ Pantokrator

Church of the Dormition. c.1080-1100 CE. Daphne, Greece. Mosaic.

Pantokrator, meaning "Lord of the Universe," was an ever-popular icon of Byzantine Orthodox Christianity. The color blue was symbolic of divinity, and Christ's fingers are shaped in a way that stands for ICXC - Jesus Christ. He holds the gospels in his hand, and bears a gold halo signifying his supernatural nature. At the Council of Nicaea, it was decided that Christ was the master of everything - and this was reflected thoroughlyly in the artwork at the time. These paintings or mosaics were typically located within the central dome of the church.

Image and Source:
"Christ Pantokrator". Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2006, Available online at www.wikipedia.org.