Saint Eleftherios

The Story Behind This Icon: Saint Eleftherios lived in the Roman Empire during a time in which paganism was the prominent religion. Saint Eleftherios was brought up Christian by his mother, and from a young age, he was very involved in the church. He became a priest at the age of 18, and a bishop when he was only 20 years old. Saint Eleftherios was a very intelligent bishop, he was a renowned scholar of the church and a great orator. As a result of this, Emperor Hadrian ordered a centurion, Felix, to find and capture him. Felix succeeded in finding Saint Eleftherios and his hidden church, walking in on him giving a sermon. Felix was captivated by the oratory of the brilliant Eleftherios. He felt bad about bringing treachery to the church and offered Eleftherios an escape. Eleftherios declined and forgave the man who brought him to the Emperor to undergo trial. He was put in prison, tortured and killed. Saint Eleftherios is the protector of the expectant mothers and childbirth. His feast day is celebrated on December 15.  *** This icon of Saint Eleftherios is reproduced, with permission, from the authentic icon painted by the monks in the Cell of St. John the Theologian Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou in Mount Athos, Greece. This icon is part of our collection "Icons from Mount Athos”, which features all icons from the Cell of St. John the Theologian. This icon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece. All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere.  Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here.