“Saint Paraskevi – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos”

Description

Icon of Saint Paraskevi on Naturally Aged Wood

A beautiful icon of Saint Paraskevi the Great Martyr, whose feast day is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on July 26th.

Saint Paraskevi 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 she was born on a Friday, she was named after the day.

At the age of 20, she became an orphan and sold all the inheritance she had received, distributing it to the poor and the sick. She also developed missionary activity in Rome and its outskirts, 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 the Saint 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 with boiling oil and pitch. But when he saw that she remained unharmed, he approached the cauldron, unable to explain how the Saint had remained untouched, to test if it was truly hot. Immediately, he was struck blind. The Saint, through prayer, restored his sight (which is why she is considered the protector of the eyes), causing him to believe in Christ or, according to some sources, to stop the persecutions against Christians.

Nevertheless, the Emperor released Saint Paraskevi, who continued to preach the Gospel in other places until she arrived in Greece. Years later, she was arrested again by the successor of Marcus Aurelius, who ordered that she be tortured and beheaded.

The monk who crafted this particular icon of Saint Paraskevi used a piece of wood with natural aging, which came from restoration work on a cell of Mount Athos. The naturally aged wood gives the icons a unique aesthetic and collectible value, while also carrying a piece of the ancient history of the Athonite community beyond its borders.

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

The icon is available upon order.

Dimensions: 25 x 33.5 x 2.5 cm
Origin: Mount Athos