Icon of the Holy Great Martyr Irene of Macedonia/Thessalonica «Penelope/Peace» (portrayed wearing rich clothes and in the golden crown) Painting

Painting: Wood, Cut-back centre portion, Canvas (“Pavoloka”) on Wood, Gesso (“Levkas”) on Wood, Egg Tempera on Wood, Gilding On the icon portrays half-length figure of the Saint Great Martyr Irene. She is dressed in a rich clothes (a red cloak with exquisite pattern, and a dark-green, almost black, chiton (shirt/tunic) and a crown, holding a cross with her raised right hand.The face of Saint Irene painted in brown ochre with whitewash highlights and cinnabar/red contours of the lips. Due to thick and opaque coating of paint the color scheme looks intensive, with brownish-ochre tones and complex shades of red prevailing in the warm color palette. The volumes are modeled, to a large extent, by color highlights while gold is more perceived as paint. The slim figure of Saint Grait Martyr Irene is portrayed with disproportionally a small head. The crown, the halo and some elements of clothes are painted in gold. Saint Great Martyr Irene is portrayed in a devotional pose, almost frontally, whereas her look is directed to the viewers. The unusually broad figure of Saint Great Martyr Irene fitting into the icon board area, a oval face with roundish brows and a small mouth produces a monumental impression. The austere image of Saint Great Martyr Irene is distinguished by the unusually elongated and symmetrical contours, a long and thin nose, a motionless look of big eyes, raised eyebrows. The halo is golden with red outlines. The icon is painted graphically, its color and silhouette are quite exquisite. While the icon is medium in size, the Saint’s image looks majestic. The image is noted for internal expression, the bright and sparkling with color highlights clothes of the Saint, slim proportions and bright colors. The background of the icon is yellow ochre colour. On the bottom margin carries, against a yellow background, is inscribed the red color text of the old Slavanic language, written in an ornamental script. The inscription contains information on how the icon was painted. The holy, glorious Great Martyr Irene of Macedoniai s invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Irene is an early Christian Saint who is venerated within the class of great martyrs and was the first woman to be venerated within this community of martyrs. Commemorated on May 5/18. The story of holy Great Martyr Irene of Macedonia (also known as the holy Great Martyr Irene of Thessalonica) is so extreme her life takes on mythic superstar status. By some accounts she was born in Persia; by others she was born in Thessalonika or even further higher in Macedonia in the 2nd century or the 4th century. There are several differing accounts of her life and the many tortures she endured so that her escapades make her a legend among saints. And as with many other heroes and legends, her struggles and labors are multiplied and magnified to appear mythic. Her story has elements that make it seem like it comes out of a book of Greek mythology. She was born to wealthy pagan parents who named her after the faithful wife of Homer’s epics, Penelope. She was exceedingly beautiful and gifted. Her father, wanting to “protect” Penelope from the wiles of the world, so that she would not be exposed to Christianity, had her imprisoned in a high tower with lavish comforts and a retinue of ladies-in-waiting. (Like that tactic worked in all the other myths and fairytales). The only person from the outside world allowed to come in was an old tutor by the name of Apellian who taught Penelope classics. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her the Christian Faith and the Christian virtues. When Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. During a critical point in her development, Penelope had a vision or actually saw a succession of birds come through the one window of her tower. One day, a dove flew through the window carrying an olive branch in its beak, depositing it upon a table. Then an eagle swooped in with a wreath of flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. Finally, a raven flew in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table. Penelope was puzzled by these events and wondered what they meant. When she asked her teacher what it all meant, he interpreted them as signs. Apellian explained that the dove signified her education, conversion and cultivation of mind, and the olive branch stood for the grace of God which is received in Baptism. The eagle with the wreath of flowers represented success in her future life, the many triumphs she would gain. The raven and the snake foretold her future martyrdom and sorrow. At the end of the conversation Apellianus said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and she was named Irene (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly after this, she destroyed all her father’s idols. Others accounts say the princess in the ivory tower was visited by an angel who renamed her “Eirini” or “peace”, Penelope was instructed into the faith by an angel himself who prophesied that she would save hundreds of thousands of souls. Since Saint Great Martyr Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods (not to mention the fact that she had gone on a rampaged and smashed a few of the family’s very valuable marble statues of the gods), he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. Saint Great Martyr Irene was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but he horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the Saint Great Martyr Irene, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him. They untied the Saint Great Martyr Irene, and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of eyewitnesses with his hand intact. Seeing such a miracle, Licinius and his wife, and many of the people, (about 3000 men) believed in Christ and turned from the pagan gods. Resigning his administrative duties, Licinius devoted himself to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Saint Great Martyr Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to preach Christ among the pagans, converting them to the path of salvation. The new king, King Sedekias, did not really take a liking to Irene’s new-found faith either. Like her father before him, he forced her to worship the old pagan gods. When Saint Great Martyr Irene refused, he threw her in a ditch crawling with poisonous snakes. That angel again protected her against all harm and when the Saint Great Martyr Irene emerged 14 days later without a bruise or bite, he put her through another series of tortures. The Saint Great Martyr Irene survived them all causing another eight to ten thousand people to convert on the spot. Now a third king came into power, Sabor, who had usurped Sedekias’ throne. The Saint Great Martyr Irene met the rebel army outside the city and with her prayers she defeated the tyrant. The earth split into two swallowing ten thousand soldiers. After this, the Saint Great Martyr Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. This was the pattern; she would go preaching, performing miracles and converting thousands in her wake. Next, the Saint Great Martyr Irene went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When the Saint Great Martyr Irene began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities.The Saint Great Martyr Irene was placed into three bronze oxen which were heated by fire. She was transferred from one to another, but miraculously she remained uninjured. Thousands of idolaters embraced Christianity as a result of this wondrous event. Sensing the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the Saint Great Martyr Irene in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. Christ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Holy Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, the Saint Great Martyr Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then the Saint Great Martyr Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to close the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. When Christians visited the cave four days later, they did not find the body of the Saint Great Martyr Irene. Apellian returned after only two days, and found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Thus did God glorify Saint Great Martyr Irene, who loved Him and devoted her life to serving Him. Although many of these miracles may seem improbable to those who are skeptical, nothing is impossible with God. The Saint Great Martyr Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. The icon looks old-time and very similar to the original ancient icons of the 16th century. The icon is executed in technique of ancient art imitation. This iconography was widespread in 16th century Russian icon-painting. The faces are executed in accordance with the 16th century Russian tradition. This icon is a unique, one of a kind works of art best represents the ancient art imitation. I developed my own unique style and created modern Russian Icons stylized under olden time, created in the style of XVI century. Executed in great details, one will discover ever over time, always new and intriguing details. The icon is written in the ancient tradition, in strict accordance with the canon, iconographic traditions and the ancient technology of the iconography. On the reverse of the icon is my signature. Please understand colors may vary slightly between the actual painting and the image on your screen due to my digital camera’s results and your monitor. Let me know if you have any questions! I will be happy to answer. Thanks for looking!

Painting:Tempera on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:11 W x 22 H x 1 D in

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