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On 21 November the Orthodox Church keeps the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. The feast honours Michael, the leader of the angels, and with him every angel, including the guardian angel God gives to each baptised Christian. Guardian angels have no feast of their own, so this day belongs to them too.
The Archangel Michael icon and the Guardian Angel icon are easy to confuse. This article explains who each of them is, how the icons differ, what people pray for and how to choose an icon for the home or as a gift.
Who is Archangel Michael
In Hebrew the name Michael means «Who is like God?». The question is a confession of faith: tradition says Michael cried it out against the fallen angel who wanted to be equal to God. The Book of Revelation tells how «Michael and his angels fought against the dragon», and the dragon was cast out of heaven.
The Church calls Michael the Archistrategos, the chief commander of the heavenly host. He appears in the Book of Daniel as the great prince who stands up for God's people, and in the Epistle of Jude, where he disputes with the devil. Orthodox Christians honour him as the protector of soldiers and of everyone in danger, and turn to him against evil and at the start of any hard undertaking.
How the Archangel Michael icon is painted
The Orthodox icon of Archangel Michael usually shows him in armour, with a spear or a fiery sword in his right hand. The defeated devil may lie at his feet. In other versions he holds a sphere with the monogram of Christ, or a palm branch. One striking type, known in Greek and Slavonic churches alike, shows him riding a winged horse of fire.
A separate icon tells the Miracle at Chonae in Phrygia. Pagans turned a mountain river against a church dedicated to the Archangel, and Michael struck the rock with his staff, opening a cleft that swallowed the water. The Church remembers this miracle on 19 September.
Your Guardian Angel and the Guardian Angel icon
The Orthodox Church teaches that at baptism God gives each person an angel to guard them for life. Christ said of children that «their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven», and Psalm 91 promises: «he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways».
The Guardian Angel icon shows an angel with wings and no armour, holding a cross and a sword: the cross for faith, the sword for protection. Many icons add a child or an adult whom the angel leads by the hand or shelters under a wing. That person is the quickest way to tell the icons apart. Michael wears armour and carries a spear, the Guardian Angel protects someone beside him, and the inscription on the icon settles any doubt.
Why 21 November is the feast of the angels
The Synaxis of the Archangel Michael was established in the 4th century. A synaxis is a gathering: on this day the Church honours all the bodiless powers together, with Michael at their head. In the old calendar the year began in March, which made November the ninth month, and the Church counts nine orders of angels. So the feast was set on 8 November in the Julian calendar, which falls on 21 November in the civil calendar.
Churches serve the Divine Liturgy, and the vigil includes canons to the Archangel and all the angels. Many people also give thanks to their own guardian angel on this day. Through the rest of the year, every Monday in the weekly cycle of services is dedicated to the angels.
Guardian angel or patron saint
Some Orthodox families call a name day «Angel's Day». A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you received at baptism. A patron saint once lived on earth and now prays for us, while a guardian angel is a bodiless spirit given to you at baptism. Both are heavenly protectors, which explains the mix-up. To choose an icon of your saint, read the guide to the patron saint icon.
For anyone named Michael the two meet: 21 November is his name day, and an Archangel Michael icon is also his patron icon.
Prayers to your Guardian Angel and to Archangel Michael
Prayers to the Guardian Angel are part of the morning and evening prayers in every Orthodox prayer book. The short prayer is easy for a child to learn and to say before leaving home: «Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by God from heaven to keep me, I pray you earnestly: enlighten me today, guard me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and set me on the path of salvation. Amen.»
To Archangel Michael the Church reads a canon and an akathist. On an ordinary day a short line is enough: «Holy Archangel Michael, pray to God for us.» People pray before his icon for protection from evil, for family members in the army or in dangerous work, and for help at the start of a difficult task. To the Guardian Angel they pray for their children, for safety on journeys and for wisdom in hard choices.
Help, as the Church teaches, comes from God through the prayers of His angels. Five quiet minutes every day before the icon matter more than a long rule read once a year.
A Guardian Angel icon for a baptism or for the home
The Guardian Angel icon is the classic baptism gift: from that day the child has an angel of his or her own. Families hang it above the cot or place it in the icon corner beside the icons of Christ and the Mother of God, as described in the guide to the Orthodox icon corner.
Our Guardian Angel icons include icons for a boy and for a girl, the Angel with a baby, sets with a wall cross and an Angel's Day set with a prayer book. Archangel Michael appears on our sterling silver cross necklaces and pendants. Every silver cross and pendant is blessed on particles of the relics of St George the Victorious.
