Description

Lithograph with Saint Kosmas of Aetolia

Saint Kosmas was a radiant apostle of the Gospel during the dark years of Turkish slavery. To honor his struggle and contribution, the Church proclaimed him “Equal to the Apostles,” and his feast day is celebrated on August 24th.

Saint Kosmas, whose secular name was Konstantinos, was born in the village of Megalo Dentro in Aetolia in 1714 AD, to pious parents who raised him in the fear and instruction of the Lord. At the age of twenty, he went to Mount Athos to study at the newly founded school of Vatopedi. After graduating, he went to the Monastery of Philotheou, where he became a monk in 1759 and later a priest-monk with the name Kosmas.

Realizing that the nation was in danger, Saint Kosmas was consumed day and night by a burning desire to go out and teach the enslaved Greeks the Holy Scriptures. However, he considered himself humble and unworthy to bear such a heavy responsibility. After receiving divine revelation, he went to Constantinople, where he met his brother, Chrysanthos, a teacher, who gave him some rhetorical lessons to help in his preaching. Then, after obtaining the permission of Patriarch Seraphim, he traveled throughout Greece, literally spreading the word of God among the “raji” (Turkish subjects).

Wherever he went, he built schools and churches, and large crowds gathered to “drink” the “nectar” of his holy teachings.

Ultimately, the jealousy of the Jews, in collaboration with the Turks, led to his hanging at Kolikontasi, in Northern Epirus, in 1779. His body was thrown into the waters of the Apsus River, but despite the stone tied around his neck, it floated. It was later discovered by the priest Markos and buried at the Monastery of the Theotokos in Ardonitsa, Northern Epirus, where it was eventually found again.

The formal recognition of his sainthood was made by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on April 20, 1961.

His words were prophetic, full of divine grace and simplicity. Once, he said to the people of a village: “I came to your village and preached to you. It is only right that you should pay me for my labor. With money? What would I do with it? My payment is for you to put the words of God in your hearts, so that you may gain eternal life.”

Lithograph: Characteristics

Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk iconographer created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught to him on Mount Athos. In the four corners, the image is adorned with a gold finish, placed between the carvings of the artificial aging.

The icon is available upon request.