Saint Chrysi – Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Lithograph of Saint Chrysi

This lithograph represents Saint Chrysi the New Martyr. Saint Chrysi was born in the village of Slatena in the Almopia region of Pella and had three other sisters. Her parents were poor. She often went with other women from the village to gather firewood for their homes, and it was during one of these occasions that a Turk saw her and wanted to make her his wife. After kidnapping her and taking her to his house, he tried to convince her to convert to Islam with flattery. However, Chrysi resisted.

The Turk then brought her parents, whom he blackmailed, in an attempt to persuade her to change her religion. The young woman, however, firmly rejected him and spoke boldly about Christ. Eventually, the Turks subjected her to horrible torture, and on October 13, 1795, they cut her body with knives, leading her to martyrdom.

Lithograph: Characteristics

Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the iconographer monk created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as he was taught on Mount Athos. The handmade artificial aging of the icon gives it collector’s value, as it depicts the New Martyr Saint Chrysi. The lithography technique in iconography is a printing technique invented in 1798.

Origin: Mount Athos