Saint Mark – Antiqued Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Antiqued Lithograph with Saint Mark

The Apostle and Evangelist Mark (April 25th) was the nephew of the Apostle Barnabas. He was likely from Cyprus, but later settled in Jerusalem.

From a very early age, Mark entered the service of the Church, accompanying his uncle Barnabas and the Apostle Paul on their various missions. He also worked for a long time with the Apostle Peter. According to tradition, Mark preached the Gospel in Egypt and Libya and was the first Bishop of Alexandria.

There are differing opinions about the manner of his death. One suggests that he died peacefully in Alexandria, while the other claims he was stoned to death by the pagans. According to the second version, one day while Mark was preaching, his enemies seized him, bound him with ropes, and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria, where he died from his wounds on the stones. His holy relics were gathered by Christians and buried in a nearby village.

The Apostle Mark wrote the second Gospel in the New Testament, the shortest of the four, known as the Gospel of the Miracles of Jesus. In it, the holy Evangelist, although not from the circle of the twelve apostles, recounts the actions of the divine Teacher, rather than His words. The main purpose of his writing was to prove the divine origin of Jesus and His power through His miracles. For this reason, iconographers often place a lion beside Evangelist Mark, symbolizing strength.

Antiqued Lithograph: Characteristics

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

Origin: Mount Athos