Description

Aged Lithograph of Saint Spyridon

Saint Spyridon was born in 270 AD in Cyprus. Despite his education, he became a shepherd, like his parents. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to God, was ordained a priest, and later became a bishop. Saint Spyridon participated in the First Ecumenical Council, where he defended the Orthodox faith with great zeal. According to tradition, an extraordinary event occurred during this council. Specifically, while holding a tile in his hand, he made the sign of the cross and said “In the name of the Father,” and fire appeared over the tile, with which it had been baked. When he said “and of the Son,” water flowed down, which had been used to knead the clay of the tile. When he added “and of the Holy Spirit,” only the clay that remained was shown in his palm. Saint Spyridon peacefully passed away on December 12, 350 AD.

Aged Lithograph: Characteristics

In this particular image, the iconographer monk used the technique of lithography to create a work of exceptional beauty. Specifically, using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk crafted this piece following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught in the iconography workshops of the Athonite State. The artificial aging of the icon is handmade, a process that the monks of Mount Athos place great importance on.

Origin: Mount Athos