Saint Demetrius – Serigraphy on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Icon of Saint Demetrius on Naturally Aged Wood

Serigraphy on naturally aged wood depicting Saint Demetrius, the patron and protector of Thessaloniki. His feast is celebrated with great pomp in the city on October 26th.

In the face of Saint Demetrius, Thessaloniki sees its protector and liberator. Not only because the city’s liberation from the Ottomans in 1912 coincided with his feast day, but also because, as tradition holds, before the city’s liberation, the inhabitants saw the Saint riding his horse on the White Tower, encouraging them.

Demetrius was born into an aristocratic family in Thessaloniki. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Roman army, and by the age of 22, he held the rank of tribune. As an officer in the Roman army under the command of the tetrarch (and later emperor) Galerius Maximian, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, Demetrius converted to Christianity and was imprisoned in Thessaloniki in 303 AD for ignoring the emperor’s decree “against Christianity.”

In prison, there was also a young Christian named Nestor (October 27), who was about to face the formidable gladiator Lyaios in combat. Saint Demetrius gave him his blessing, and as a result, Nestor defeated Lyaios, provoking the wrath of the emperor. Both were ordered to be executed—Demetrius by spear and Nestor by beheading. Saint Demetrius’ body was buried at the place of his martyrdom, where a magnificent church was later built in his honor. His tomb became a deep well from which myrrh flowed, earning him the title “Myroblytos” (the Myrrh-streaming).

In this particular icon, Saint Demetrius is depicted on horseback, wearing military attire, striking down the Tsar of the Bulgarians, Skilojannis, outside the walls of Thessaloniki in October 1207, during his siege of the city.

In Byzantine icons and contemporary iconography, Saint Demetrius is often shown as a horseman on a red horse (in contrast to Saint George’s white horse) trampling the infidel Lyaios.

This exquisite serigraphy, like all the icons in the same category available from “Athonite Heritage,” has been created on naturally aged wood from a renovated cell on Mount Athos.

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.

Dimensions: 30 x 25 x 2.5 cm