Saint Ivan of Rila (original old name - Ioan, also known as St John of Rila) (876 – c. 946) was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that landed in his hands. His followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery. One of these churches, "St Ivan Rilski" was only discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. Today, he is honored as the patron saint of the Bulgarian people and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
According to legend, Saint Ivan of Rila was known to have performed a multitude of miracles authentic in order to help the people. These miracles brought him undesired fame as he tried to live the life of a hermit and avoid contact with others. With his growing number of followers, many young believers and supporters set up camps around his cave, seeking a blessing from him. This led the way to the creation of the Rila Monastery, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria.
His feast days are August 18 and October 19
THE TECHNIQUE:
The icon is painted on stucco canvas mounted on wood panel with tempera paints. The icon is sealed with couple of layers varnish to assure a long lasting and well preserved image and to make it easy and safe to clean it from dust. The back and the sides of the wood panel are varnished with darker tone woos stain seal for a nice finish.
The icon measurements are 10 1/2" long (26.5cm), 3" wide (9cm)
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to commission a specific icon or scene you don't see in my shop, I will be glad to make it for you!
See my other available works here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/iconsart
Product code: Saint Ivan Rilski, St Ioan of Rila - handpainted icon original, 8 by 6 authentic inches