Icon of the Holy Great Martyr Irene with scenes of her life around the edges of the icon
Saint Irene, a Slav by birth, lived in the second half of the 1st century and was the daughter of Licinius, ruler of the city of Mageddon in Macedonia. Even in her youth, Irina understood the vanity of paganism and believed in Christ. According to legend, she was baptized by the Apostle Timothy, a disciple of the Apostle Paul. Wanting to devote her life to God, Saint Irene refused marriage.
Exploring the Christian faith more and more deeply, Saint Irene began to convince her parents to become Christians. Licinius, Irina’s father, who at first listened favorably to her words, then became indignant with her, and when she refused to bow to the idols, he threw her under the feet of wild horses. Without touching the martyr, the horses rushed at Licinius and crushed him to death. When, through the prayer of the saint, he was brought back to life, he and his entire family believed in Christ, and 3,000 people believed with him.
After this, Saint Irene began to boldly preach Christ among the inhabitants of Macedonia, for which she was subjected to humiliation and suffering many times. By order of the ruler Zedekiah, they either threw Saint Irene into a ditch with snakes, or tried to saw her with a saw, or tied her to a mill wheel. Irina’s torment was accompanied by miraculous signs that attracted many to faith in Christ. Thus, the snakes did not touch the martyr, the saws did not harm her body, and the mill wheel did not turn. The tormentor Vavodon himself believed in Christ and was baptized. In total, more than 10,000 pagans were converted by Irina. When the Lord indicated to Irina the day of her death, she retired to a mountain cave near the city of Ephesus, the entrance of which, at her request, was blocked with stones. On the fourth day, her friends returned to the cave and, having opened it, did not find the body of Saint Irene in it. Everyone understood that she was taken by the Lord to Heaven.
The memory of Saint Irene was highly revered in ancient Byzantium. In Constantinople, several magnificent churches were built in memory of St. Irene.
The icon is made by printing on a wooden board. Paints are mineral, do not fade with time. The thickness of the board is 2 cm. The board is covered with primer by hand. The image is covered with wax. Each icon has a metal mount on the back side so that you can hang the icon on the wall.
You can buy the icon in three sizes:
- 13 х 8 centimeters (5,1 x 3,1 inches)
- 19 х 11 centimeters (7,5 x 4,3 inches)
- 26 х 15 centimeters (10,2 x 5,9 inches)
Our icons are made by Orthodox craftsmen. You can read more about the technology here.
We hope it will be a good gift for you and your loved ones.
