Saint Anthony the Great – Engraved Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Engraved Lithograph of Saint Anthony
The Life of Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony was born in 251 AD in Upper Egypt to wealthy and devout parents, whom he lost at a young age. As a child, he was modest and displayed a deep devotion to the Church’s worship. After his parents’ passing and ensuring the care of his younger sister, he distributed his wealth to the poor and withdrew to a cave in the desert, where he lived an ascetic life for 25 years.

During his ascetic journey, Saint Anthony never changed his garment nor washed his body. He taught his disciples to renounce worldly goods without feeling deprived and to value nothing above the love of Christ.

Saint Anthony passed away in 356 AD at the age of 105, maintaining complete physical and spiritual health. Shortly before his death, he bequeathed his only possessions—a tunic and two sheepskins—to his closest disciples, Saint Athanasius and Serapion.

One of Saint Anthony’s final wishes was for his burial site to remain secret. However, the monks who lived near him claimed to possess his sacred relics. During the reign of Emperor Justinian, in 561 AD, Saint Anthony’s relics were transferred to the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Alexandria. Later, in 635, they were moved to Constantinople. In the 11th century, a French nobleman named Jocelin took the saint’s relics to the Abbey of Saint Anthony in the town of Saint-Antoine, southeastern France, where they remain today.

Saint Anthony mastered his passions, reaching the highest levels of asceticism. His soul could leave his body while he was still alive. He became the model for all ascetics and is considered the founder of monastic life in the East. The Church has declared him “Great” and honors his memory on January 17.

Engraved Lithograph: Features
This artwork is entirely handcrafted, without the use of machinery, on engraved natural wood. It is the work of the iconographer Athanasios, a student of the Athonias Ecclesiastical Academy, who remains faithful to Byzantine art as he was taught on Mount Athos. His works are coated with pure beeswax to ensure their longevity.

In this particular icon, the monk iconographer employed the lithography technique to create a piece of unique beauty. Using a lithographed reproduction of Byzantine art, the monk crafted this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as learned in the iconography workshops of the Athonite State. The artificial aging process is entirely handmade, a technique highly valued by the monks of Mount Athos.

As each icon is handmade and the wood is processed entirely by hand, slight variations in dimensions may occur.

The icon is available upon request.

Origin: Mount Athos