Holy Friday – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Icon of Saint Friday on Naturally Aged Wood

A beautiful icon of Saint Friday the Great Martyr, whose memory is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on July 26th.

Saint Friday was born in Rome during the reign of Emperor Antoninus (138 – 160 AD). She was the daughter of devout Christians, Agathon and Politeia, who ensured her Christian upbringing, as they had promised God if He granted them a child. Since the child was born on a Friday, she was named after the day.

At the age of 20, she became an orphan and sold all the property she inherited, giving it to the poor and the sick. She also developed missionary activity in Rome and its surroundings, preaching the word of Christ. Her actions provoked the pagan emperor Antoninus, who arrested her and promised her material goods if she would sacrifice to the idols. However, seeing that Saint Friday remained steadfast in her faith, he subjected her to the torture of the heated helmet, which she endured with patience. The emperor then ordered that she be placed in a cauldron of boiling oil and pitch. But seeing that the Saint remained unharmed, he approached the cauldron—unable to explain how she was unharmed—to test whether it was truly hot, and immediately went blind. The Saint, through prayer, restored Antoninus’ sight (which is why she is considered the protector of the eyes), causing him to believe in Christ or, according to some, to stop the persecutions against Christians.

Nevertheless, she was freed and continued preaching the Gospel in other regions until she reached Greece. Years later, she was arrested again by the successor of Marcus Aurelius, who ordered his prefects to torture and behead her.

The monk who created this icon of Saint Friday used a piece of wood with natural aging, which resulted from restoration work in a cell at Mount Athos. The naturally aged wood gives the icons a unique aesthetic and collectible value, while also conveying a piece of its centuries-old history beyond the Athonite state.

As the icon is handmade and the wood processing is done by hand, there may be slight variations in the wood, but not in the depiction.

The icon is available upon request.

Origin: Mount Athos

Dimensions: 26 x 30.5 x 2.5 cm