The Harrowing of Hades

People love the Harrowing of Hades icon. I can say that I have never met someone who likes icons that doesn't have a favorite version of the image. And yet, this depiction of the Resurrection actually came some centuries after others were in regular use. The Myrrh-bearing Women at the Tomb dates earlier and was the common icon for the feast until it was overtaken by the shattered doors of Hades and Christ surrounded by mandorla all of us know so well. If you are at all interested in the topic, have a read here.