Michael (archangel) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Michael
A 13th-century Byzantine icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Archangel
Venerated in	Anglicanism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Islam, Judaism
Canonized	pre-congregation
Feast	November 8 (New Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches) / November 21 (Old Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches), September 29 ("Michaelmas"); May 8; many other local and historical feasts
Attributes	Archangel; Treading on a dragon; carrying a banner, scales, and sword
Patronage	Guardian of the Catholic Church; Kiev, Guardian of Vatican City; protector of the Jewish people, police officers, military, grocers, mariners, paratroopers

Michael is an important archangel, which means he is a chief angel. He is respected in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Many people, especially Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, and Lutherans, call him "Saint Michael the Archangel." Orthodox Christians sometimes call him "Taxiarch Archangel Michael."

Michael's Name and Meaning
Michael in Different Religions
Images for kids
See also

Michael's Name and Meaning

The name Michael comes from Hebrew. It means "who is like God?" This question shows that no one is as powerful or great as God.

Michael in Different Religions

Michael in Jewish Beliefs

The Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible mentions Michael three times. One part says he is a "great prince who stands up for the children of your people." This means Jews saw Michael as their special helper and defender. Even though Jewish people usually do not pray to angels, Michael became very important in their religious services.

Michael in Christian Beliefs

In the New Testament, Michael leads God's armies. He fights against Satan's forces in the Book of Revelation. During a great battle in heaven, Michael defeats Satan. In the Epistle of Jude, Michael is called "the archangel Michael."

Churches and special places dedicated to Michael started appearing in the 4th century. At first, people saw him as an angel who could heal. Later, Christians began to see him as a strong protector. He was also seen as the leader of God's army fighting against evil. By the 6th century, people in both the Eastern and Western Christian Churches widely honored Archangel Michael. Over time, beliefs about Michael continued to grow and change among Christians.

Michael in Islamic Beliefs

In Islam, Michael (or Mīkāʾīl) is also a respected archangel. He is known as the angel of mercy. He is often seen as the angel who provides food and knowledge to people.

Images for kids

Guido Reni's Michael (in Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome, 1636) tramples Satan. A mosaic of the same painting decorates St. Michael's Altar in St. Peter's Basilica.
Saint Michael, Archangel es:Melchor Pérez de Holguín, Bolivia, (1708)
Statue of Archangel Michael at the University of Bonn, slaying Satan as a dragon; Quis ut Deus is inscribed on his shield
St. Michael weighing souls during the Last Judgement, Antiphonale Cisterciense (15th century), Abbey Bibliotheca, Rein Abbey, Austria
West window showing Michael in armour, Anglo-Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) United States
Statue at St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg
Le Grand Saint Michel, 1518, by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), Archangel Michael defeating evil
Mīkāʾīl's name in Islamic calligraphy
Archangel Michael at a Portuguese feast in Cabeceiras de Basto
Statue of St Michael at the former seat of the Bavarian Military Order of Saint Michael in the Electoral Palace, Bonn, Germany.
10th-century gold and enamel Byzantine icon of St Michael, in the treasury of the St Mark's Basilica
The Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
St. Michael's Jesuit church, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Archangel Michael on a 9th-century Makurian mural
Andrei Rublev's standalone depiction c. 1408
Michael (left) with archangels Raphael and Gabriel, by Botticini, 1470
Bronze statue of Archangel Michael, standing on top of the Castel Sant'Angelo, modelled in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (1710–1793).
Michael's icon on the northern deacons' door on the iconostasis of Hajdúdorog. The archangel is often depicted on iconostases' doors as a defender of the sanctuary.
St. Michael the Archangel and the Dragon. Queen of Archangels Roman Catholic Parish, Clarence, PA
St Michael's Victory over the Devil, a 1958 sculpture by Jacob Epstein.