Saint Sophia of Kleisoura – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Icon with Saint Sophia of Kleisoura on Naturally Aged Wood

Saint Sophia of Kleisoura is often called as the ascetic figure of Virgin Mary. She was born at 1883 at Trapezounta of Asia Minor. At 1907 she was married and after that she became a mother but a few years later she lost both, her husband and child. Then she fled to the mountains where she lived ascetically with great fasting. It was at that time she saw a dream with Saint George who warned her for a raid and so she informed the residents of the area and as a result they were saved. Later she went at the Holy Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at Kleisoura Kastoria where she lived in an ascetic way for almost half a century. It is known that she was eating very little, she used to wear old clothes and she endured the icy winters without heating. She loved all people and animals and according to tradition there was a bear that used to eat from her hand.

Blessed Wood that Came out of Paradise

This naturally aged wood that was used at the icon with the representation of Saint Sophia of Kleisoura came from a renovated cell from Mount Athos which has suffered many damages through years. Renovation works were necessary to remain in good condition so monks can continue to live there. Monks are replacing doors, window shutters or ceiling beams but they are keeping the pieces of wood so they can reuse them. They are cutting and processing the wood with excellent techniques so they can use it later for their artworks such as these icons. These pieces of wood are part of the history of Mount Athos. So monks reuse them and they are giving us a small piece of this history.

As this icon is handmade and the wood processing is made exclusively by hand there might be small differences at the wood but not on the representation

Origin: Mount Athos

Dimensions: 19.5 x 23.5 x 1.5  cm