Saint Eugenia – Aged Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Aged Lithograph with Saint Eugenia

Saint Eugenia the Virgin Martyr (December 24) lived in the second half of the 3rd century AD. She was from Rome, and her parents were named Philip and Claudia. She also had two siblings, Avitus and Sergius.

Her father was appointed governor of Alexandria and moved there with his family. In Alexandria, Eugenia received the best education, learning both Greek and Roman literature. After completing her studies, she sought more knowledge and came into possession of letters from the Apostle Paul, which were given to her by a Christian woman. Upon reading them, she was deeply impressed.

At that time, her parents wanted to marry her off to a Roman official, Acylina. Refusing this proposal, Eugenia disguised herself as a man one night and fled to another city. There, she was catechized, baptized as a Christian, and simultaneously took on the monastic habit.

After some time, she returned home, and her parents recognized her with tears and immense joy. Not long after, the whole household of Eugenia embraced Christianity. Out of hatred, the pagans fatally wounded her father. When Eugenia returned to Rome and refused to sacrifice to idols, she was beheaded, thus ending “the good fight of faith” with her earthly life.

Aged Lithograph: Features

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

Origin: Mount Athos