Saint Theonas of Thessaloniki – Pyrography

Description

Pyrography with the Depiction of Saint Theon

Saint Theonas I, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was a disciple of Saint James the New Martyr. They say that Saint Theonas was from Mytilene, others say that they named him that way because he spent a lot of time in Plomari. We don’t know much about his life before his move to Mount Athos.

He first lived as an ascetic in the Monastery of Pantokrator, as an elder. Later he went to the company of St. James the New Martyr in a place above the Iviron Monastery, in the monastery of Timios Prodromos.

In the year 1518 A.D. Saint James accompanied by six of his disciples, among them Theonas, left the Skete of Prodromos and went to the interior of Mount Athos, but after a vision the Elder decided to leave Mount Athos. They passed through Thessaloniki, Thessaly, passed through the castle of Petra (Platamon) and Meteora and settled in the monastery of Timios Prodromos, in Aetolia, where they stayed for a year.

Pyrography: Features

Pyrography is an art that attracts many creators because of the impressive results that can be achieved. It is a painting technique where the two primordial elements of Nature, wood and fire, are used. With patience and attention to detail, the monks create the fire-painted image, paying great attention to the error as it is not corrected as it is done with a pencil.

This image combines the art of engraving with that of pyrography, giving an excellent embossed result.

Dimensions: 14 x 12 cm.