Virgin Holy Belt – Engraved Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Engraved Lithograph with the Virgin Mary holding the Holy Zone

An excellent lithograph with the representation of the Honorable Zone. The Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary is the only sacred relic related to Her earthly life.  In fact, it is a belt made by the Virgin Mary herself from camel hair. The Apostle Thomas was the only one of the Apostles who saw the miraculous Metastasis of the Virgin Mary. Then he begged her to give him her belt for blessing, which the Virgin Mary handed over to him.

The Holy Zone was guarded by Christians in Jerusalem until Emperor Arcadius moved it to Constantinople. The reception was magnificent and was attended with devotion by believers from every corner of the Byzantine Empire. Today the only surviving part of the Holy Zone of the Virgin Mary is kept in the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. The Church commemorates the deposition of the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary on August 31.

Engraved Lithography: Features

The work is crafted entirely by hand, without machinery, in carved natural wood. It is the work of hagiographer Athanasios, a student of the Athonite Ecclesiastical Academy, who remains faithful to Byzantine art as he was taught it on Mount Athos. His works are covered with pure beeswax so that they remain unchanged over time.

In this particular icon, the hagiographer monk used the technique of lithography to create a work of unique beauty. Specifically, using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught in the hagiography workshops of the Athonite State. In fact, the artificial aging of hagiography is handmade, a process to which the monks of Mount Athos pay particular attention.

As the image is handmade and the wood is processed entirely by hand, there may be slight variations in the dimensions of each image.

Image available upon request.

Origin: Mount Athos