Saint Paraskevi – Aged Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Aged Lithograph of Saint Paraskevi the Great Martyr
This lithograph depicts Saint Paraskevi the Great Martyr. At the age of 20, she was orphaned and inherited a significant fortune, which she sold and distributed to the poor and sick, while also teaching Christianity. Her actions became known to the Romans, and she was summoned by the emperor to renounce her faith, which she refused to do. She was immediately subjected to torture and later imprisoned, but an Angel of the Lord freed her from her chains.

In an attempt to execute her, she was placed in a large cauldron of boiling oil, but she remained unharmed. The emperor Antoninus, unable to believe it, approached the cauldron, but his eyes were struck, causing him to go blind. According to tradition, Saint Paraskevi healed him miraculously (which is why she is considered the protector of the eyes), and the emperor released her. Many years later, she was captured again by the successor of Marcus Aurelius, who ordered her to be tortured and beheaded.

Aged Lithograph: Characteristics
In this particular icon, the monk iconographer used the lithography technique to create a work of unique beauty. Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk crafted this piece by following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught in the iconography workshops of Mount Athos. The artificial aging process is handcrafted, a procedure that the monks of Mount Athos give special attention to.

Origin: Mount Athos