“Saint Phanourios – Silk Screen Print on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos”

Description

Icon of Saint Phanourios on Naturally Aged Wood

Saint Phanourios (August 27), this beloved saint, remained unknown for many centuries. He became known when his icon was accidentally discovered on the island of Rhodes in the 14th century AD. An ancient church was found there, with many damaged icons. Among them was a well-preserved icon, on which the then Metropolitan of Rhodes, Neilos II of Diaporinos (1355–1369 AD), read the name of the saint, “Saint Phanourios.” In the icon, the saint was depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand, upon which a lit candle was placed. Around the icon, scenes of the twelve martyrdoms of the saint were depicted.

In these scenes, the martyr was shown standing among soldiers, being judged by the ruler, struck in the mouth and head with stones, flogged, sitting naked while his body was scraped with iron claws, imprisoned, and tortured in front of the ruler’s tribunal. He was also shown being burned with lit candles, tied to a rack and tortured, surrounded by wild beasts unharmed, lying on the ground with his body pressed by a large stone, standing inside a pagan temple holding burning coals in his palms, while the devil escaped into the air with wailing, and standing in a furnace of fire with his hands raised in prayer.

The wood on which the martyrdoms of Saint Phanourios are depicted lived for many years in the earthly Paradise, Mount Athos. It was part of an old cell that was renovated. The monks who saw its potential to become an icon carefully cut and preserved the wood using methods known on Mount Athos from the preservation of wooden iconostasis.

Since the icon is handmade and the wood processing is done by hand, there may be slight variations in the wood, but not in the depiction.

The icon is available upon request.

Dimensions: 25.5 x 30.5 x 2.5 cm