Saint Venerable Onuphrius the Great. Wooden orthodox icon.
Original icon: 19th century.
Onuphrius the Great is an early Christian saint, an Egyptian hermit of the 4th century. The life of Saint Onuphrius is known from the words of Saint Paphnutius, who met him in the desert before his death and buried him. By the time he met Paphnutius, Onuphrius had lived in the desert in complete solitude for 60 years.
Some versions of the life report that Onuphrius the Great was born around 320 in Persia and was the son of the Persian king, who, at the suggestion of an angel, sent him to a monastery in infancy. He received his education in the Thebaid monastery of Eryti near Hermipolis, where he learned from the elders about the hermits and wanted to imitate them. He secretly left the monastery and came to the Thebaid desert (Egypt), where he met a hermit who became his teacher. For several years the elder taught Onufriy to fight against "devilish temptations", and then, convinced of the strength of his student's spirit, left him alone. Every year the teacher came to Onufriy and died during one of his visits.
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.
