Icon of Saint Hierarch Spiridon - embroidered, framed, 21x27cm
Born around the year 270, in the village of Askia on the island of Cyprus, during the time of Saint Emperor Constantine the Great, Saint Hierarch Spiridon was a shepherd in his youth.
He was married, but his wife passed away early, leaving him with their daughter, who later also departed to be with the Lord. This sad event led him to choose the monastic life, later becoming a shepherd of souls as the bishop of Trimythous.
According to the tradition of Byzantine iconography by Dionysius of Fourna, Saint Hierarch Spiridon, the Bishop of Trimythous, is depicted in this icon as an old man, with a long beard. He wears on his head a woven basket-shaped skullcap. Similar to Saint Hierarch Nicholas, Saint Spiridon is clothed in a robe, not a cassock, over which he wears the omophorion. In his left hand, he holds the Holy Gospel and blesses with his right hand.
Through the miracles performed throughout the world, he was also called the "Wonderworker." It is said that his relics disappeared from the church in Corfu for short periods of time, reappearing covered in dust and his worn-out shoes bearing traces of earth and grass.
During the persecutions under Emperor Maximian in the year 295 AD, the saint was arrested and exiled.
Then, in the year 325, he participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, astonishing many with the simplicity with which he explained the Orthodox faith. Without many formal teachings, he managed to convert an important philosopher of the time from Arianism to Orthodoxy, astonishing all those present at the Council of Nicaea.
He illustrated the unity and diversity of the Holy Trinity by holding a brick in his hand and explaining that it is composed of three essential elements: fire, earth, and water. During his speech, fire ignited on the top of the brick, and water began to flow from the bottom.
Saint Spiridon is honored every year by the Orthodox Church on December 12th. He is recognized as the "wandering saint" who periodically emerges from his reliquary to help those who call upon him in prayer, bringing them faith and love.
