Whether you believe in them or not, angels are one of the most powerful symbols of religion and culture. That is why, since ancient times, many artists have dedicated themselves to creating drawings of angels for churches, books, paintings, and several other types of expressions.

Perhaps the most famous of angels is Gabriel, known as Saint Gabriel, or Saint Archangel Gabriel in some religious denominations. His role in the announcing of Jesus Christ’s birth to the Virgin Mary marks the start of the story that is the cornerstone or Christianity and it’s what separates Judaism from Christianity. In addition, he’s revered in Islam as the one who brought the Qur’an to prophet Muhammad, who is the last prophet according to Islam.

It’s no wonder that there are thousands of drawings of angels with him as a theme, both in Christian texts as in Muslim ones. My favorite drawings of angels include the visit he made to the Virgin Mary to tell her about the good news.

In addition to ancient religions, a lot of people have made drawings of angels which involve visits or encounters they had with these beings. Of course, to believe whether these encounters happened depends more on every person’s set of beliefs, as well as the credibility of the person who made the drawings of angels, than in the mere existence of some drawings of angels. A lot of these are clearly blatant scams, made with the intention of getting attention and money, while others seem to come to really sincere people who want to share their experience.

Other people make drawings of angels as a hobby. They might be religious, and want to channel their adherence to their faith as well as their creativity in some form of art expression. As a matter of fact, these are my favorite drawings of angels. I’m not sure why but I suspect because they show a love for angels and art that isn’t tainted with any political or profit purpose.

Finally, another interesting thing about drawings of angels, is that they reflect the images and symbols of the era in which they were made. For example, early Christian drawings of angels represent them with Roman clothes or uniforms, instead of Hebrew clothes. You’d think it would be the other way around, but maybe because Rome and its legions represented power and might, and they wanted to reflect those qualities in the drawings. Later angels were dressed in more neutral white gowns that represented purity and goodness.