Uriel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Uriel
Mosaic of St. Uriel by James Powell and Sons, at St John’s Church, Warminster, Wiltshire.
Archangel
Venerated in	Rabbinic Judaism, Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Esoteric Christianity
Feast	September 29 (Western), November 8 (Eastern), 28 July (Ethiopian)
Attributes	Archangel; Fire in palm; Carrying a book, a scroll, a flaming sword and a disc of the sun.
Patronage	Arts, confirmation, poetry

Uriel is a powerful archangel in Jewish and Christian traditions. An archangel is a very important type of angel. His name means "God is my light" or "fire of God." Many people, especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Anglican churches, call him "Saint Uriel the Archangel."

Uriel in Religious Stories

The Roman Catholic Church mainly recognizes three archangels from the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. However, some Jewish and Christian traditions believe there are four or even seven archangels. Uriel is usually considered the fourth archangel in these traditions.

In an old religious book called 2 Esdras, Uriel is sent by God to answer questions asked by a person named Ezra. This shows Uriel's role as a messenger who brings understanding.

Uriel's Special Roles

Uriel has other important roles in Christian stories that are not in the main Bible. These stories are found in texts called "apocryphal traditions."

One story says that Uriel saved John the Baptist when he was a baby. This happened during a terrible event called the Massacre of the Innocents. During this event, all baby boys under two years old in Bethlehem were ordered to be killed. Uriel is said to have helped John and his mother, Saint Elizabeth, reunite with John's cousin, Jesus. This moment is shown in the famous painting Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci.

Uriel is often described as a Cherub (a type of angel) and the angel of repentance. Repentance means feeling sorry for doing wrong and deciding to change. He is also believed to be the angel who guards the Gate of Eden. In another old text called The Apocalypse of Peter, Uriel is shown helping to make sure people truly repent. Some stories also say he was one of the angels who buried Adam and Abel in Eden.

Gallery

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  Stained glass, depicted with fire as the attribute, Church of St James, Grimsby

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  Stained glass, with flaming sword as the attribute, St James' Church, Ewhurst Green

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  Stained glass of archangel Uriel as regent of the sun, Chester Cathedral

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  Fresco of archangel Uriel at the Hanging Church in Cairo, 13th century

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  Enamel plaque of Saint Uriel the Archangel, part of the Pala d'Oro at St Mark's Basilica, Venice

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  Painting of archangel Uriel by Henry Oliver Walker at the Library of Congress

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  Stained glass of St Uriel at Puebla Cathedral, Puebla, Mexico

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  Statue of archangel Uriel wearing an Eye of Providence headgear at the Old Cemetery of Paysandú

Images for kids

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  Uriel, right, in the Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre version) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1483–1486.

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  A rare medieval stained-glass panel depicting the Archangel Uriel with Esdras. St Michael and All Angels Church, Kingsland, Herefordshire.

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  "The Angelic Council" ("Ангельский Собор"). Eastern Orthodox Church icon of the "Seven Archangels". From left to right: St Jehudiel, St Gabriel, St Selatiel, St Michael, St Uriel, St Raphael, St Barachiel. Beneath the mandorla of Christ Emmanuel are representations of Cherubim (blue) and Seraphim (red).

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  Uriel is said to have interpreted prophecies to Enoch and Ezra. Panel painting in St Michael and All Angels Church, Howick.

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  14th-century Russian mosaic fragment of Uriel

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  Mosaic of archangel Uriel in Hosios Loukas

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  18th-century Cuzco School painting of Uriel as a warrior angel

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  Uriel Standing in the Sun by Washington Allston, 1817

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  Archangel Uriel, fresco at the ceiling by Johann Georg Unruhe from Saint Michael parish church, Untergriesbach, 1780

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  Fresco of archangel Uriel at a Russian Orthodox church

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  Archangel Uriel as the regent of constellations, St Martin in the Bull Ring

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  Statue of archangel Uriel at the San Miguel Church

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  Carving of St Uriel at St Augustine's, Kilburn

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  A stained glass window of Uriel in St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church (Dayton, Ohio)

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  Uriel as the regent of the sun and of constellations, St Andrew's Church, Chippenham

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  St Uriel as the regent of constellations, St Mary the Virgin's Church, Lynton

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  Stained glass of St Uriel at the Holy Trinity Church, Hull

Related pages

• St. Uriel's Episcopal Church

See also

In Spanish: Uriel para niños