Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga and Saint Andrew Stratelates before the Icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy". Wooden orthodox icon.
Original icon: 19th century
The Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates of Tarsus was a Roman military commander under Emperor Maximian. During the war with Syria, Saint Andrew was given the title of "stratelates," that is, commander-in-chief. Having chosen a small detachment, Saint Andrew set out against the enemy. His soldiers were pagans, and he himself had not yet accepted Baptism, but believed in Christ. Before the battle, Saint Andrew convinced the soldiers that the pagan gods were demons, and preached to them the true God. With faith in God's help, a small detachment of soldiers put the numerous Persian army to flight.
When Saint Andrew returned from the campaign with victory, many began to envy his glory and reported to the ruler Antiochus that the saint was a Christian who had converted his subordinate soldiers to Christ. The saint, summoned to trial, confessed Christ, for which he was subjected to torture. The soldiers who were with him were crucified on trees, but not one of them renounced Christ.
Then the emperor, fearing a mutiny of the army, released St. Andrew and his retinue, but secretly ordered that each of them be executed separately under some pretext. Having been freed, the saint and his soldiers came to the city of Tarsus, where they were baptized, and then were killed in the gorge of the Taurus. Before his death, St. Andrew prayed for all who would honor their memory, and asked the Lord to send people a healing spring at the place where their blood would be spilled. During this prayer, the martyrs were beheaded with a sword. And at that very moment, a spring flowed from the ground.
Bishops Peter and Non, who baptized the soldiers, buried the bodies of the martyrs together with a cleric. One of the clerics, who had long suffered from an evil spirit, drank from the spring and was immediately healed. Word of this spread among the local residents, and they began to come to the spring and, through the prayers of St. Andrew and the 2,593 martyrs, received gracious help from God.
The martyrdom of the saints occurred around 302.
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 11 centimeters (5,1 x 4,3 inches)
- 19 х 16 centimeters (7,5 x 6,3 inches)
- 26 х 22 centimeters (10,2 x 8,7 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.
