Saint Raphael – Antiqued Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Antiqued Lithograph with Saint Raphael

It is known that before becoming a cleric, Saint Raphael had a career in the Byzantine army and even reached a high rank. After his monastic tonsure, he was ordained as a presbyter and was also honored with the titles of archimandrite and protosyncellus. A few years before the fall of Constantinople, Saint Raphael, after wandering, found himself on the island of Lesbos, where he lived as a monk.

Later, in 1463 AD, Lesbos fell into the hands of the Turks. During one of their raids on the monastery, they captured Saint Raphael on Holy Thursday. He endured harsh and relentless tortures, and Saint Raphael was martyred by beheading in a brutal way. Specifically, he was dragged by his hair and beard, hung from a tree, beaten, pierced with their weapons (which were heated in a strong fire), and finally, he was beheaded by sawing through his mouth.

His feast is celebrated two days after Easter, on the Tuesday of Bright Week or Lambri-Triti.

Antiqued Lithograph: Characteristics

This 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 particular case, the monk used a lithographed copy of Byzantine art and created this piece following the traditional method of artificial aging. Lithography in iconography essentially serves as a printing technique.

Origin: Mount Athos