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Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of Orthodoxy during Lent?

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Church year A church altar decorated with saint icons for All Saints' Day.

The Feast of Orthodoxy is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite on the first Sunday of Lent to commemorate the restoration of icons to the churches in 843 CE.12

This event marked the definitive end of the iconoclastic controversy, a prolonged period beginning in 730 CE during which the use of sacred images was officially prohibited due to concerns regarding idolatry. The restoration was ultimately achieved under Empress Theodora following the death of her husband, the iconoclast emperor Theophilus.1

Because icons are considered fundamental to Orthodox piety and worship, this feast serves as a significant celebration of the church's tradition and the theological validity of using sacred images in devotion.2