Saint Zaphirios – Aged Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Aged Lithograph of Saint Zaphirios

Saint Zaphirios (June 11) is one of the many neo-martyrs of our faith, relatively unknown to many. Much of his life remains a mystery, such as the exact place of his origin or the dates of his birth and death. What is certain is that he was Greek, hailing from a village in Halkidiki.

During the Halkidiki uprising of 1821, many villagers fled to Mount Athos with their families to escape Turkish massacres. Among these refugees were some who chose martyrdom rather than renounce their faith, including the young Zaphirios. As a teenager, he was the only one among the 70 children taken from Mount Athos to Thessaloniki who stayed steadfast in his faith in Christ.

In the codex 743 (6250) of the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon at Mount Athos, it is recorded:

“During 1821, 1822, 1823, when the Greek revolution broke out, the Pasha of Thessaloniki, Ampompout, subdued Mount Athos, causing much suffering. He then sent his men to gather 70 children from the mountain and brought them to Thessaloniki, where they were forcibly converted to Islam. Only one remained steadfast in the faith and was martyred. His name was Zaphirios.”

The service of Saint Zaphirios was composed by Hieromonk Athanasios Simonopetritis, hymnographer of the Great Church of Christ.

Aged Lithograph: Characteristics

This particular icon was created using the lithography technique, taught in the iconography workshops of Mount Athos. It is a method employed by many monks to produce exquisite works of art. In this case, the monk used a lithographic reproduction of Byzantine art and adorned it using the traditional method of artificial aging. Lithography in iconography essentially involves a printing technique.

Origin: Mount Athos