Saint Athena – Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Saint Athena: Life and Martyrdom

Saint Athena was one of the 40 virgin martyrs who all suffered together for their faith in Christ. These forty saints, most of whom had rare names, were distinguished not only for their outer beauty but also for the beauty of their souls.

The 40 virgin martyrs came from Adrianople in Thrace. They lived there in the early 4th century AD and were students of the deacon Ammon. During that time, Licinius, a fierce persecutor of Christians, ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Licinius had ordered the extermination of all Christians. However, the 40 women did not succumb to Licinius’s temptations to worship idols. They were subjected to horrible tortures along with their teacher on September 1st, the day on which their memory is commemorated.

The 40 virgins devoted themselves entirely to their religious duties. Their lives were dedicated to asceticism. Their faith was so strong that they faced Emperor Licinius boldly and did not shrink in fear in front of the terrible tortures.

They were not enticed by the material goods and the fleeting wealth that Licinius used to try to persuade them to worship the idols. The 40 virgins remained steadfast in their Orthodox faith and thus earned the heavenly glory of Paradise.

Lithograph of Saint Athena

Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the gifted iconographer Nektarios Nastos created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as he was taught at Mount Athos. In the four corners, the image is decorated with a gold finish, between the engravings of the artificial aging.

Origin: Mount Athos