Sandblasted Icon of Saint Tychon the Athonite – Mount Athos

Description

A Unique Handcrafted Icon by an Athonite Monk Featuring Saint Tychon the Athonite, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and Saint Paisios the Athonite

This exceptional piece of Athonite craftsmanship features Saint Tychon the Athonite, the Theotokos, Jesus Christ, and Saint Paisios the Athonite.
The image of the Saint is created using gold-colored sand, collected and painted from the shores of the Athonite State.

Father Tychon was born in Russia, in Novaya Mikhaylovka, in 1884. His parents, Paul and Helen, were devout Christians, and their son—Timothy, his secular name—inherited their deep faith and love for God. From a young age, he expressed a desire to dedicate his life to the Lord.
Though his parents initially hesitated due to his lively temperament, they eventually gave him their blessing to visit monasteries over a three-year period (ages 17 to 20). During this time, he made numerous pilgrimages across Russia, visiting around 200 monasteries. Even though he was often exhausted from his journeys, he would humbly avoid hospitality in order to exercise ascetic discipline and avoid burdening others.

Following his Russian pilgrimages, he traveled to Mount Sinai, where he stayed for two months, and then to the Holy Land, where he lived in asceticism for a time beyond the Jordan River.
Although these holy places nourished his soul, he couldn’t find inner peace amidst the restless worldly spirit of the times—thus, he departed for Mount Athos.

On the Holy Mountain, his first obediential stay was at the Cell of Bourazeri, where he remained for five years. However, due to the large number of Russian pilgrims disrupting his stillness, he received a blessing to move to Karoulia, where he lived in strict asceticism for fifteen years.
During this time, he devoted himself to intense spiritual struggle, striving not only to wear the Angelic Schema externally but to become an angel in spirit and soul.

As the icon is handmade, and the wood is processed manually, minor variations in the wood grain or texture may occur.

This icon is available by special order.

Origin: Mount Athos
Dimensions: 19 x 16 cm