IC XC is an abbreviation for “Jesus Christ” in Greek. You’ll see these four letters on almost every icon of Christ in our church.
The letters come from the Greek words Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Iēsous Christos). IC takes the first and last letters of Jesus’ name, iota and sigma. XC does the same for Christ, chi and sigma. That final letter looks like a C because it’s what’s called a lunate sigma, shaped like a crescent moon. Medieval Greek scribes used this form instead of the standard sigma, and it stuck in iconography partly because its curves fit nicely around halos and other circular elements in icons.
Walk up to any icon of Christ Pantocrator and you’ll see IC on one side of his halo, XC on the other. The inscription isn’t decorative. It’s theological.
Why Icons Must Be Named
The Seventh Ecumenical Council settled the question of icons in 787, but part of that settlement included a requirement that’s easy to overlook. Icons must be labeled with the name of the person depicted. This isn’t about helping people who can’t recognize Jesus. It’s about making clear that we’re venerating the person, not just a pretty painting.
When you kiss an icon of Christ, you’re showing reverence to Jesus himself, not to wood and paint. The name makes that distinction clear. Without it, you’d just be venerating an image of some guy with a beard. The inscription IC XC transforms the image into a window, it identifies who you’re looking through the window at.
IC XC NIKA
Often you’ll see IC XC paired with another word: NIKA. That’s Greek for “conquers” or “is victorious.” The full phrase proclaims “Jesus Christ Conquers.” You’ll find this on crosses, on the prosphora bread we use for Communion, embroidered on vestments, carved into church doorways. It’s a declaration of Christ’s victory over death and sin, and it’s been showing up in Christian art since the Byzantine Empire.
Some priests and bishops hold their fingers in a specific position when they bless, thumb, ring finger, and pinky forming the letters IC, XC. It’s a physical proclamation of Christ’s name and a confession of the Incarnation. Christ himself is often shown with his hand in this position in icons of Christ the Teacher.
What This Means for You
If you’re new to Orthodoxy, you might find all these Greek letters intimidating. Don’t be. Think of IC XC as a name tag that happens to be in another language. When you see those letters, you know exactly who you’re looking at.
The inscription also reminds us that iconography isn’t abstract religious art. It’s specific. This isn’t “a christ figure” or “the divine” or some vague spiritual concept. It’s Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen on the third day. The letters IC XC anchor the image to a real person with a real name.
Next time you’re in church, whether at St. Michael’s here in Beaumont or visiting any Orthodox parish from Alaska to Albania, look for those four letters. They’re everywhere once you start noticing. On the iconostasis, in the dome, on the Gospel book, on Father’s vestments. Each time they appear, they’re making the same simple, staggering claim: this is Jesus Christ, God become man, and he conquers.
