Panagia Athonitissa & Estavromenos – Monastic Opening Neck Cross – Gold & Silver – Mount Athos

Description

Hollow neck cross made of pure silver and gold

This cross is a work of art made of gold and silver 925o^{, with} its details handcrafted by a silversmith monk. It is a hollow cross, which opens revealing inside a recess in which cotton wool soaked in myrrh or even relics of saints is usually placed. A special piece of jewelry, crafted with care, which can be worn on both sides. Ideal gift for loved ones, as it can also be worn as an amulet depending on what we choose to place inside

Artwork from Mount Athos : What it depicts

On one side of the cross, the monk chose to depict the Virgin Mary, who bears the name Athonitissa, the protector of Mount Athos. At the feet of the Virgin Mary the sacred mountain can be seen, while she herself holds the abbess’s rod. Christian tradition says that the mother of Christ visited Mount Athos together with John the Evangelist, going to Cyprus to visit Lazarus. Due to rough seas, they disembarked on the coast where the Holy Monastery of Iviron is located today. There the Virgin Mary admired the beauty of the area and from that moment the whole area is the garden of the Virgin Mary. On the second side there is the Crucifix, where again special attention has been paid to detail.

Materials: Silver 925o, Gold

Dimensions: 4 x 3 x 0,9 cm