Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri – Engraved Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Engraved Lithograph of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri
A Stunning Icon of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri
A magnificent icon depicting Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, one of the “newly revealed” saints, who was born in 1384 in Trikala.

To escape the Ottoman practice of child abduction (devshirme), he was sent to the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Theotokos on Mount Amomon at the age of just 14. There, he remained as a novice monk until the age of 18, after which he was ordained a monk and later became a priest. His sacred relics were discovered by the nun Makaria Desypri on January 3, 1950, at the site where the Holy Monastery of Amomon in Nea Makri, Attica, stands today.

According to Christian tradition, after Athens fell to the Ottomans in 1416, the monastery suffered two major destructions. During the first attack, Saint Ephraim happened to be praying in a cave on the mountain. The Ottoman army slaughtered the other fathers and monks, whom Saint Ephraim later buried upon his return. In 1425, the Turks captured him and subjected him to brutal torture for eight and a half months. He was martyred on May 5, 1426, and the tree where he was nailed and took his last breath still exists today.

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 preservation over time.

In this particular icon, the monk iconographer employed the lithography technique to create a piece of unique beauty. Specifically, by 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 procedure to which the monks of Mount Athos pay great attention.

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