Saint Nicholas Planas – Silk-screen on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Silk-Screen of Saint Nicholas Planas on Naturally Aged Wood

This silk-screen depicts Saint Nicholas Planas (March 2), one of the more recent saints of Orthodoxy.

Saint Nicholas Planas was born in Naxos in 1851 to a wealthy and devout family. His father, Ioannis Planas, owned a commercial boat, and his mother, Augoustina Melissourgou, was the daughter of the priest Georgios Melissourgou. Young Nicholas was raised in a Christian environment and helped his grandfather with church duties, learning the first letters from him.

After the death of his father, at the age of 14, he moved to Athens with his mother and sister. At 17, he married Eleni Proveleggios from Kythera, at the wish of his mother. However, he was widowed early when his wife died shortly after giving birth to their son, Giannakis, whom he raised alone.

The Lord did not delay in making him a servant of His Church and made him suitable and useful for the Gospel of Christ. He was ordained a deacon on July 28, 1879, at the Church of the Transfiguration in Plaka, and five years later, on March 2, 1884, he was ordained a priest at the humble Church of Saint Elias in Monastiraki. He served at the holy altar for about 50 years (1884 – 1932) in the churches of Saint Panteleimon, near the Ilissos river, and the even poorer and more remote Church of Saint John the Baptist, known as “Kynigos,” on the present-day Vouliagmeni Street. He distinguished himself as one of the most liturgical priests, a man of prayer, whose life was a continuous service to the Altar. From “early morning until night,” he remained in the church. He was free from the love of money and full of good works and charity. His food consisted of little bread and greens that he gathered himself, and sometimes milk given to him by shepherds in the then-deserted area of his parish. His nocturnal vigils at the Church of Saint Elias in Athens remained unforgettable. There are also testimonies from children who saw him, during the Divine Liturgy, in a state of ecstasy, floating above the earth. There are testimonies from prominent scholars, such as Alexandros Papadiamantis and Alexandros Moraitidis, who sang at the vigils he performed, praising his rare and holy priestly personality.

Father Nicholas, the so-called “simple” priest, lived in the joy of the Divine Eucharist, which he celebrated every day without fail, as prescribed by liturgical rules, and extended it for many hours to savor its spiritual joy. He always responded to the genuine Orthodox spirit and celebrated the mystery of the coming and presence of the Risen Lord, who reveals Himself as He did at the Last Supper. The joy of the Resurrection, which is at the heart of the Eucharist, became ontological refreshment and delight in the elder who was ablaze with divine Love. His participation in the Paschal joy swept him away. It was not a mere ephemeral duty for him. The long memorial services for the living and the dead, from the notes he always carried in a small bag, were only an excuse. In reality, he never wished to interrupt the joy of the Eucharistic Table, the sight of the Risen Body and Blood of Christ.

The ever-memorable Elder, after reaching the age of 82 and giving an unprecedented testimony of heavenly gifts, holiness, humility, simplicity, discernment, charity, asceticism, and divine wisdom, and after becoming the unique protector of thousands of orphans and the poor, passed away peacefully in 1932, and was buried in front of the Church of Saint John the Baptist of Kynigos.

On August 29, 1992, the holy and miraculous relics of Saint Nicholas Planas were placed in a silver casket, which is now located in the right aisle of the holy church.

The Holy Church officially declared Saint Nicholas Planas a saint during the 135th Synodal Period (1991-1992) of the Most Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate, at the suggestion of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Patras, Mr. Nikodimos, and under the care of the Most Reverend Bishop, Mr. Ambrosios.

The Ascetic Services of Saint Nicholas Planas, which are in liturgical use, were written by the Metropolitan of Patras, Mr. Nikodimos, and by Archimandrite Nikodimos Pavlopoulos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Limnos on Lesbos.

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

The image is available by order.

Origin: Mount Athos

Dimensions: 21 x 227.5 x 3 cm