Saint Paraskevi – Antiqued Lithograph with Gold Leaf – Mount Athos

Description

Antiqued Lithograph of Saint Paraskevi

A lithograph of Saint Paraskevi the Great Martyr. At the age of 20, she was orphaned and inherited a significant fortune, which she liquidated, distributing the money to the poor and the sick, while also teaching Christianity. Her actions became known to the Romans, and she was summoned to trial by the emperor, who asked her to renounce her faith, which she naturally refused. She was immediately tortured and then imprisoned, but an Angel of the Lord freed her from her chains. To kill her, they placed her in a large cauldron of boiling oil, but she remained unharmed.

Emperor Antoninus, unable to believe this, approached the cauldron, but his eyes were struck, causing him to go blind. According to tradition, Saint Paraskevi miraculously healed him (which is why she is considered the protector of the eyes), and Antoninus set her free. Years later, she was once again captured by the successor of Marcus Aurelius, who ordered the prefects to torture her and behead her.

Antiqued Lithograph: Characteristics

In this particular image, the iconographer monk used the technique of lithography to create a work of unique beauty, framed with gold leaf. Specifically, using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk crafted this piece following the traditional method of artificial aging, as he learned in the iconography workshops of Mount Athos. In fact, the artificial aging of the icon is handcrafted, a process to which the monks of Mount Athos attach great importance.

Origin: Mount Athos