On 11 March 843, the grand halls of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople bore witness to a momentous event—the official reinstatement of icon veneration, marking the end of the Byzantine Iconoclasm that had riven the empire for over a century.
Led by Empress Theodora and Patriarch Methodios I, a solemn yet jubilant procession carried sacred icons through the streets, signifying the restoration of religious imagery in Orthodox Christianity.
This pivotal moment, later commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy," reaffirmed the deep-seated role of icons in worship and cemented their place in Byzantine spiritual and artistic tradition, shaping Eastern Christian devotion for centuries to come.
