Saints Theodore – Aged Lithography – Mount Athos

Description

Aged Lithography with Saints Theodore.

There are two Saints Theodore: Saint Theodore the Tyron (February 17) and Saint Theodore the General (February 8). However, the Church has designated that both be celebrated together on the first Saturday after Clean Monday.

Saint Theodore the Tyron distinguished himself in the corps of the Tyrones, the new recruits of the Roman legion, and he acted during the reigns of Emperors Maximian and Galerius. Theodore had refused to take part in the sacrifices, which led to him being summoned by the leader of his unit, where he confessed that he was a Christian. His refusal to apostasize resulted in his arrest and flogging, followed by the cutting of his flesh with sharp iron. Despite this, he did not deny Christ. Eventually, his torturers decided to throw him into a furnace, where he gave up his spirit.

Saint Theodore the General was an officer in the Roman army, but when Emperor Licinius learned that he was a Christian, he tried to convert him. Initially, he invited him to sacrifice to the idols, but Theodore refused. Soon after, Saint Theodore attended a grand ceremony, but instead of sacrificing to the idols, he seized them and smashed them, giving the pieces to the poor to sell. When Licinius saw this, he ordered Theodore’s arrest, but despite the torture, he did not renounce Christ. Ultimately, the soldiers crucified him, but he did not die. The emperor then ordered his head to be cut off.

Aged Lithography: Characteristics

This particular image was created using the lithography technique, which is taught in the iconography workshops of Mount Athos and is also used by several monks to create exquisite works of art. In this case, the monk used a lithographed copy of Byzantine art and created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging. The lithography technique in iconography is essentially a printing technique.

Origin: Mount Athos