Saint Seraphim of Sarov – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov on Naturally Aged Wood

Saint Seraphim of Sarov (born Prochorus) lived, acted, and shone with grace in the 18th and 19th centuries. His feast day is celebrated on January 2nd.

He was born on July 19th, 1759, in the city of Kursk, where he remained until the age of 18. At 18, he decided to dedicate his life to God and become a monk at the Sarov Monastery. At his monastic tonsure, he was given the name Seraphim, meaning “fiery,” as his characteristic was his fervent love and zeal for Jesus. Two months later, he was ordained a deacon. As a deacon, he spent his days in the monastery, serving in the liturgies and strictly following the monastery’s rules. However, in the evenings, he withdrew to the forest to his secluded cell, where he spent the night in prayer. Early in the morning, he returned to the monastery.

At the age of 34, he was ordained a priest. His thirst for greater spiritual struggles led him to leave the Monastery, with the blessing of the abbot, and live in complete isolation, fasting and praying incessantly for 15 years. For a thousand days and nights, he climbed onto a rock, with his arms raised in prayer, saying: “O God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” He constantly studied the Holy Scriptures and held a deep reverence for the Theotokos. He would often say, “The Virgin Mary is joy, the greatest of all joys.”

In 1810, he returned to the Sarov Monastery and remained for 15 years in seclusion in his cell, practicing silence. In 1815, at the age of 56, he began receiving visitors. Upon seeing the faces of people, he would exclaim, “My joy!” He would embrace and kiss some of them, saying, “Christ is Risen!” However, he did not leave his cell for another ten years.

At the age of 66, after a vision and command from the Theotokos, he dedicated himself entirely to serving others and began his work as a “starets” (spiritual guide). The saint was graced by our Lord and the Theotokos with the gifts of foresight, discernment, and healing. Saint Seraphim of Sarov would hear confessions from many people and heal many the sick.

On January 1st, 1833, a Sunday, he visited the church of the hospital of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius for the last time. After receiving Holy Communion, and at the end of the Divine Liturgy, he asked forgiveness from all the brethren, blessed them, kissed them, and said comfortingly, “Be saved, do not lose heart, watch, and pray. Our crowns are being prepared.” Saint Seraphim passed away peacefully on January 2nd, 1833. The monks who saw him in the white habit, kneeling in prayer before the icon of the Theotokos, with a copper cross around his neck and his hands crossed over his chest, thought he had fallen asleep.

This exquisite serigraph, like all the icons in this category available from “Agioritiki Kleronomia,” has been crafted on naturally aged wood, which comes from a restored cell of Mount Athos.

As 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: 22 x 28 x 2