Aged-Wooden Byzantine Icon of Saint Theoctiste, of Lesbos.
Saint Theoctiste was a nun from Mithymna in Lesvos. She was once taken by Cretan pirates, along with her fellow villagers, to Paros where they wanted to soll her as a slave. However, Saint Theoctiste managed to escape and find refuge in the mountain, where she remained for 35 years living an ascetic life.
When a hunter found her, Saint Theoctiste asked him to bring her Holy Communion. After fulfilling her last wish, she passed away peacefully and was buried by the hunter in Ekatontapilianis Monastery. Years later, her holy relics were mysteriously found in Ikaria, where they are still kept in the Holy Monastery of Lefkada.
Troparion
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy mother Theoctiste, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
The aging technique is meticulously applied to the Icon by hand and gives it the look of time while the depiction retains its artistic details.
Around the perimeter, the aging becomes more apparent with frayed edges that give the Icon a distinctive appearance.
During the final processing, the Aged-Wooden Icon of Saint Theoctiste is polished with a special varnish to withstand time.
Note: The final Icon may slightly differ from the catalog photo.
Feast: November 9
Iconographer: Monk Michael, Mount Athos
Availability: Made to order, usually ships within 5 to 10 days.
