"Thanks for the image, Kolo. That certainly does explain what it means"
Well, "a picture's worth etc...." We Greeks are a simple people! :)
The icon shows Christ having broken down the gates of hell, with death, the old man, lying trampled in the Pit. Christ extends His hands to Adam and Eve. The people watching are King David, John the Baptist, King Solomon, Abel, Moses and Elijah, all having been released from the bonds of death.
And I thought Elijah never died.