Bulgarian Hand Painted Icon of Saint Ilia (Elias)

Icon measures: 12 x 16 cm
The icon is hand made, tempera painted on dark stained wood, gold sheets aureole of Saint Ilia (Elias).
Created by: K.Georgieva, Qualified icon painter

We offer you a hand painted icon of Saint Ilia (Elias) - lord of the thunders. The icon is made in Bulgaria, according to the original medieval Bulgarian orthodox painting traditions (17th c.). For its make was used dark stained wood. The icon is tempera painted. The red color symbolize divinity and the transcending of the limits of mortality and the Gold is to symbolize the power of spirit.

The icon makes an excellent gift for your friends and family and it will remind you of the intransient values we, human beings, have a tendency to forget about now and then.

General information In 865 the Bulgarians were THE FIRST Slavonic people to adopt Christianity from Byzantium as its official religion.
Since then the icon, venerated as an especially sacred object of cult and rite, has developed as a fundamental part of the Bulgarian art from the ninth century until present days. The Bulgarian icon painters had left their deep mark in the overall development of Christian Orthodox Art. Their trail can be seen in the monasteries of Mount Athos and the south-west Balkans, or in Wallachia, Moldavia and Russia, whose icon masters had followed the Bulgarian canonical pattern.
The rich historical background of the Bulgarian icon and the fact that it is a result of the efforts of a small but gifted nation makes it an inseparable element of European cultural history.

Additional information about Saint Ilia, as found on the Internet
St.Ilia is a Judaic prophet and a wandering hermit, who lived in the time of the Israeli king of Ahav and queen Iesavel. They worshipped the pagan god Vaal. St. Ilia predicted horrible drought would befall the lands of the pagan king, which would be God’s way of punishing him for his sins. His prophecy came true and the Israeli people were tortured by drought for three and a half years. Only then did God show his mercy and sent his prophet to announce the end of the disaster. St. Ilia is worshipped by all Christians as one of the greatest biblical prophets, along with Moses. His life story tells how, when he died, a fiery chariot, pulled by fiery horses, took him to the skies.
In the Christianized mythological believes, when the world was divided, St. Ilia took the “summerthunders and storms”; he is the master of all summer sky elements and hailstorms. Ilinden (or the day of St. Ilia) is celebrated as the day of the most important saint –“hailstorm”. In his honor, people make offerings by slaughtering the oldest rooster and baking round loafs for him. All-village fairs are organized.

Ilinden is also the holiday of all members of the guild of curriers, furriers, packsaddle-makers, and tile-makers. It is also the name day of all people called Ilia, Ilian/a

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shipping: 9.1 EUR / 11.92 USD (combined shipping)

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Bulgarian Hand Painted Icon of Saint Ilia (Elias)