Holy Forty Martyrs – Sandblasting – Mount Athos

Description

A special handiwork of an Agiorite monk. The image of the Saint with golden painted sand from the shores of the Athonian State.

The Holy Forty Martyrs were elite soldiers of Licinius’ army. When he launched a persecution against the Christians, the Forty One was required to sacrifice to idols, but they refused. A direct consequence of their refusal was that they were arrested by the Prefect of Sebastia, Agricola, who, initially, tried to flatter them with praise, offering them fees and positions, in case they sacrificed to idols and renounced their Faith.
Then Candide, one of the soldiers, answered him: “We thank you for the praises of our valor, but Christ, in Whom we believe, teaches that to every lord we must offer what belongs to him. And therefore to the king we offer military obedience. Again, however, while we follow the Gospel, we do not harm the state, rather we benefit it with our service. Why, then, do you interrogate us for a faith which forms such characters and leads to such works?”

Agricolas understood that he could not convince them. So he ordered them to be tortured. They stripped them naked and threw them into a frozen lake to die of the cold. He also ordered a guard to guard the place of martyrdom lest the Forty should escape. Time passed, but the martyrs patiently endured the horrible torture. And when their bodies began to bruise from the frost, one encouraged the other saying: “Winter is harsh, but Paradise is sweet. Let us endure this night, and we shall gain all eternity.”

At some point, one of the soldiers couldn’t take it anymore and got out of the lake. But the pagan guard, named Aglaios, impressed by the zeal of the rest of the witnesses, and seeing the bright crowns of martyrdom descending from heaven, stripped himself and immediately fell into the frozen waters of the lake himself, bearing witness to Christ, and receiving the fortieth crown of martyrdom. In the morning they took the saints out of the lake half dead, and crushed their branches. Their remains were found by faithful Christians, who then reverently buried them.

As the picture is handmade and the wood is processed by hand, there may be slight variations in the wood.

Image is available upon request.

Origin: Mount Athos

Dimensions:17Χ14