Handmade Byzantine Icon of Saint John the Russian.
Saint John the Russian was born around 1690 in what is now Ukraine and participated in the Russo-Turkish War of 1710. During the war he was captured and sold as a slave to a Turkish officer, who took him with him to Prokopi in Asia Minor. There, despite the officer's efforts to make him change his faith, Saint John the Russian remained a Christian.
He lived a simple life and slept in his master's stable with few necessities. He had dedicated himself to God and the virtuous life. He performed his first miracle when the officer traveled to Mecca and Saint John the Russian sent him a plate of rice. The inhabitants of the area were convinced of his holiness in the following years as he continued his miracles and followed a humble life.
When he passed away, in 1730, his relics were carried under the Holy Altar of the Church of Saint George where he used to pray.
His relics were then transferred, and remain to this day in the Holy Temple of Saint John the Russian in Evia, after the exchange of populations with which the inhabitants of Prokopi settled in a new settlement of the same name in Evia.
Apolytikion
He that hath called thee from earth unto the heavenly abodes, doth even after thy death keep thy body unharmed, O righteous one; for thou wast carried off as a prisoner to Asia, wherein also, O John, thou didst win Christ as thy friend. Wherefore, do thou beseech Him that our souls be saved.
The Icon of Saint John the Russian is an exact copy of Byzantine art and is created by experienced craftsmen using the method of gold printing where hagiographic leaves of 22 karat gold are applied in detail to decorate the background.
During the final processing, the icon is painted with dark red color around the perimeter and polished with a special varnish to maintain its shine.
It is offered in level or recessed wooden surface and is suitable for wall mounting.
Feast: May 27
Iconographer: Nun Kassiane, Holy Monastery of The Annunciation, Patmos
Availability: Made to order, usually ships within 5 to 10 days.
