Saint Eustathius – Aged Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Aged Lithograph of Saint Eustathius

Saint Eustathius was an officer in Rome who is said to have converted to Christianity following a miraculous event. According to tradition, he was hunting a deer that had a cross between its antlers when he heard a voice calling him to follow the One True God. Shortly afterward, he was baptized as a Christian under the name Eustathius. His wife, Theopiste, and their two children, Agapius and Theopistus, were also baptized.

However, when Emperor Trajan learned of his conversion to Christianity, he stripped Eustathius of his rank and exiled him along with his family. Nevertheless, he was later reinstated to assist in the emperor’s military campaigns. Trajan’s successor, Hadrian, demanded that Eustathius offer sacrifices to pagan idols, which he steadfastly refused. This led to severe torture for him and his family. Ultimately, they were all martyred, dying inside a bronze bull that was heated to a fiery temperature.

Aged Lithograph: Features

In this particular piece, the monk-iconographer utilized the technique of lithography to create a work of exceptional beauty. Specifically, using a lithographed reproduction of Byzantine art, the monk crafted this piece following the traditional method of artificial aging as taught in the iconography workshops of the Athonite monastic community. The artificial aging of the icon is entirely handmade, a process to which the monks of Mount Athos pay special attention.

Origin: Mount Athos