Thanks, Mark. I got a similar impression of his standing within the church from someone I know who is orthodox and had introduced me to his writings and a biography of him.

Dianavan -
As for icons, she recommends a book called Russian And Greek Icons From The Charles Pankow Collection, 13th through 19th Centuries, by Dick temple. Publisher: William kaufmann, Inc. ISBN # 0-06576-034-9. it's out of print, but try www.bookfinder.com. It's a picture book, so not much in the way of history.