Saint Venerable Mary of Egypt, with Scenes from Her Life. Wooden orthodox icon.
Saint Mary, called the Egyptian, lived in the middle of the 5th and the beginning of the 6th century. Her youth did not bode well. Mary was only twelve years old when she left her home in the city of Alexandria. Being free from parental supervision, young and inexperienced, Mary was carried away by a vicious life. There was no one to stop her on the path to destruction, and there were many seducers and temptations. So Mary lived in sin for 17 years, until the merciful Lord turned her to repentance.
It happened like this. By coincidence, Mary joined a group of pilgrims heading to the Holy Land. Sailing with the pilgrims on a ship, Mary did not stop seducing people and sinning. Having arrived in Jerusalem, she joined the pilgrims heading to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
A large crowd of people entered the temple, but Mary was stopped at the entrance by an invisible hand and could not enter it with any effort. Here she realized that the Lord did not allow her to enter the holy place because of her impurity.
Seized with horror and a feeling of deep repentance, she began to pray to God to forgive her sins, promising to radically correct her life. Seeing the icon of the Mother of God at the entrance to the temple, Mary began to ask the Mother of God to intercede for her before God. After this, she immediately felt enlightenment in her soul and entered the temple without hindrance. Shedding abundant tears at the tomb of the Lord, she left the temple a completely different person.
Mary fulfilled her promise to change her life. From Jerusalem, she withdrew to the harsh and deserted Jordan desert and there spent almost half a century in complete solitude, fasting and prayer. Thus, through severe exploits, Mary of Egypt completely eradicated all sinful desires in herself and made her heart a pure temple of the Holy Spirit.
Elder Zosima, who lived in the Jordan Monastery of St. John the Baptist, by God's providence, was honored to meet the Venerable Mary in the desert when she was already a very old woman. He was amazed by her holiness and gift of clairvoyance. Once he saw her during prayer as if she had risen above the earth, and another time - walking across the Jordan River, as if on dry land.
Parting with Zosima, the Venerable Mary asked him to come to the desert again in a year to give her communion. The elder returned at the appointed time and gave the Venerable Mary the Holy Mysteries. Then, coming to the desert another year later in the hope of seeing the saint, he no longer found her alive. The elder buried the remains of St. Mary there in the desert, in which he was helped by a lion, who dug a hole with his claws for the burial of the body of the righteous woman. This was approximately in the year 521.
Thus, from a great sinner, Saint Mary became, with God’s help, the greatest saint and left such a striking example of repentance.
🖼 Product Features
• Printed on durable MDF wood panel
• Mineral pigment inks for long-lasting color
• Sealed with protective beeswax finish
• Ready to hang — includes mounted metal hook
• Handmade by Orthodox Christian artisans
• Lightweight yet solid: board thickness is 1.6 cm (0.6")
📏 Available Sizes
• 12 x 15 cm (5” x 6”)
• 23 x 30 cm (9” x 12”)
• 30 x 39 cm (12” x 15”)
🎁 Perfect for
• Orthodox Christian gifts
• Spiritual housewarming gifts
• Prayer corners and devotional altars
• Baptisms, name days, and feast days
🌍 Ships worldwide with secure packaging
Our icons are made by Orthodox craftsmen in Portugal.
We hope it will be a good gift for you and your loved ones.
