Συντήρηση εικόνας Αγίας Άννας - Restoration of Saint Anna' s icon

               60x 45 cm - 23,6 x 17,7 inch.

               Unknown iconographer

               ~ 1870-1930

               Codes :  0081A, 0081B

               Egg tempera and silver covers
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Αγία Σοφία η ασκήτρια της Κλεισούρας - Saint Sofia of Kleisoura (6/19 May)

                                                  18x26cm - 7 x 10inch.

+ Η Αγία Σοφία της Κλεισούρας (1883-1974) κατά κόσμον  Σοφία Χοτοκουρίδου  γνωστή και με το προσωνύμιο "Ασκήτισσα της Παναγίας" ήταν μοναχή της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας, η οποία την ενέταξε το 2011 στις αγιολογικές δέλτους της και την 1η Ιουλίου 2012, έγινε η επίσημη ανακήρυξη της από τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίο στην Καστοριά. Η μνήμη της εορτάζεται στις 6 Μαϊου εκάστου έτους.

Παρακλητικός Κανόνας αγίας Σοφίας : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGw_vT7AxL4  

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+    “Saint Sophia of Klisoura taught us patience, while patience and humiliation is the key that opens the floodgates of divine grace that will lead to cleansing from the sinful passions.”

Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama

Άγιος Νεκτάριος - Saint Nektarios

22 x 28 cm - 8.6 x 11 inch.

Egg tempera and gold leaf 23k.

2021.

 

Troparion — Tone 1

O faithful, let us honor Nectarius the divine servant of Christ, / offspring of Silyvria and guardian of Aegina, / who appeared in these last times as a true friend of virtue, / pouring forth all manner of healing upon those who reverently cry: / Glory to Him who gave you strength! / Glory to Him who granted you a crown! / Glory to Him who through you grants healing to all!

Άγιος Μηνάς ο μεγαλομάρτυρας- Saint Menas of Egypt

33x25cm - 12.9x9.8
Egg tempera/ gold leaf

 

Ἀπολυτίκιον
Ἦχος δ’. Ταχὺ προκατάλαβε.
Στρατείαν κατέλιπες τὴν κοσμικήν, ἀθλητά, οὐράνιον εἴληφας τὴν κληρουχίαν, σοφέ, καὶ στέφος ἀμάραντον, δόξαν ἀποδιώξας βασιλέως γηϊνου, ἄθλους δὲ διανύσας μαρτυρίου γενναίου. Διό, μεγαλομάρτυς Μηνᾷ, πρέσβευε σωθήναι ἠμᾶς.

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Troparion — Tone 4

Your holy martyrs, O Lord, / through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. / For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Συντήρηση εικόνας Αγίου Δημητρίου - Saint Demetrius icon cleaning/ restoration

Before/ After
53x40cm - 20.8x15.7inch

Egg tempera and gold leaf
Dated: ^1930AD
Unknown iconographer
Codes: 080a, 080b, 080c

2021.
     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Άγιος Ιάκωβος Τσαλίκης - Saint Iakovos Tsalikis

30x 40 cm - 11,8x 15,7inch.
Egg tempera 
Gold frame and halo 23k.

- Ἀπολυτίκιον

Ἦχος γ΄. Θείας πίστεως.
Χαίρει ἔχουσα, σὲ παραστάτην, ἡ πολύφημος νῆσος Εὐβοίας, καὶ τοῦ ὁσίου Δαυΐδ ἐπαγάλλεται, ἡ θεία Μάνδρα τὸν τάφον σου ἔχουσα, θεοχαρίτωτε πάτερ Ἰάκωβε, σὺ γὰρ χάριτας, βλυστάνεις ἡμῖν ἑκάστοτε, ὡς ῥεῦμα Παρακλήτου ἀνεπίσχετον.

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- Saint elder Iakovos Tsalikis was among the holiest Elders, who lived in Greece the past decades. His holiness is acknowledged by almost all Greeks and thousands of faithful from the rest world. His entire holy life and the miracles he worked and is still working today, place him among the biggest recent Saints of the Orthodox Christian Religion.

Fr. Iakovos Tsalikis was born in Livisi, Asia Minor on November 5, 1920.  He was one of nine children that his mother Theodora gave birth to.  His father Stavros was taken captive by the Turks in the catastrophe of Asia Minor, when the Greeks lost the war.  The father was later released and joined his family in Greece.  Because of the difficult times in which the Elder’s family lived only three of the nine children lived beyond infancy.

Young Iakovos lived through the upheaval of the Orthodox Christian population of Asia Minor in 1922. Initially the family settled in the village of Saint George in Amfissa, where the living conditions were appalling.  In fact, the conditions there were close to starvation.  In 1925, the family moved to Farakla in Northern Evia, Greece.  The Elder Iakovos was educated in the village Church School of Saint Paraskevi.  Young Iakovos expressed from a young age an inclination for monastic life.  He was known as the monk in the village because of his monastic practices of fasting and prayer. While still a young boy he had a visitation from Saint Paraskevi, who revealed to him in detail the religious life that he would follow in his life.

His fervor for the Church from a young boy was so profound that he learned by heart the whole text of the Divine Liturgy at age seven.  He became seriously ill at the age of fifteen but survived.  The Second World War broke out five years later.  His health was impaired again during the war and he lost his mother in 1942.  During the German occupation of Greece, he and many of his fellow villagers were taken prisoners by the Germans.  They were taken to the village Strofilia.  He and his fellow Greeks suffered terribly during the German occupation of Greece and later with the civil war that broke out with the communists.  He was drafted into the Greek army in 1947 and was discharged in 1949.  In 1949 his father passed on to eternal life.

The Elder’s sister got married in 1951. The same year elder Iakovos decided to enter the monastic life.  He chose to enter the Monastery of Saint David in Evia, which at that time had only three monks.  The conditions at the Monastery were very difficult at the beginning.  The Monastery had been almost abandoned and the monks that lived there did not do anything to improve the facilities.  Because of these difficulties that he encountered the Elder returned to Farakla for a while.  He returned to the Monastery again and was tonsured a monk on November 31, 1952.  The following month, he was ordained a deacon on the 17th of December in Halkida and two days later he was ordained a priest.  He was chosen to be the Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David in 1975.  But prior to this the Elder had become well known and beloved by the faithful in that part of Evia.  The faithful would visit the Monastery for the sacrament of confession and for pastoral counseling.  The number of faithful Christians visiting the Monastery increased drastically and the income of the community was increased dramatically to the point where many improvements were made to the Monastery.

The Elder Iakovos Tsalikis is a contemporary of the Elder Porphyrios.  Both men were miracle-workers. Elder Tsalikis died November 21, 1991 and the Elder Porphyrios died December 2, 1991. They have had a great spiritual impact upon the contemporary Orthodox Church. This impact has continued even more profoundly after their departure for eternity.

What is unusual in the life of Elder Tsalikis is his visible battles with demons that assailed him and how he was able to subdue them. Following his experience with these spirits of darkness, he then was given the grace to become a very effective exorcist.  He was able with the sanctified skull of St. David, the founder of his Monastery, to banish many demons from faithful people of the Church, who were possessed. It was early on in his monastic life that the demons would attack Fr. Iakovos physically to the point of knocking him out cold.  On the heels of these merciless attacks by the demons Fr. Iakovos was given the grace to banish demons from people.  The demonic method of attacking people is well known from Holy Scripture and in the history of the Church. They are able to inflict such demonic influence on human beings that they become blind followers of Satan.  It was especially during the 1980’s that possessed people were brought frequently to the Monastery for the prayers of exorcism.  Father Iakovos would read the prayers of exorcism over them and then bless them with the blessed skull of Saint David.  The Monastery was established by Saint David in 1550.  The relics of Saint David are very fragrant to this very day.

Translated from the Greek by:
+Fr. Constantine (Charles) J. Simones, Waterford, CT, USA

Άγιοι Δημήτριος και Γεώργιος - Saints Demetrios and George

 35x27cm - 13,7x 10,6inch.

Eggtempera with gold leaf 23k and white gold 12k.

2021.

Συντήρηση εικόνας Υπαπαντής του Κυρίου - Restoration of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple icon.

Before / After   -   Πριν και μετά. 
Codes: 078, 0781, 0782, 0783

 

 

Αγία Αικατερίνη η μεγαλομάρτυρας - Saint Cathrine the Great Martyr

 20x25cm -  5.9x 7.8inch.

Troparion — Tone 4

By your virtues as by rays of the sun you enlightened the unbelieving philosophers, / and like the most bright moon you drove away the darkness of disbelief from those walking in the night; / you convinced the queen, and also chastised the tyrant, / God-summoned bride, blessed Catherine. / You hastened with desire to the heavenly bridal chamber of the fairest Bride-groom Christ, / and you were crowned by Him with a royal crown; / standing before Him with the angels, pray for us who keep your most sacred memory.

Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Πρόδρομος - Saint John the Baptist

 20x25cm -  5.9x 7.8inch.

APOLYTIKION FOR ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 7^th January Tone 2

The memory of the just is praised,* but thou art well pleased, O Forerunner, with the testimony of the Lord. * For thou hast verily been shown forth as more honoured than the prophets, * since thou wast counted worthy to baptize in the stream Him whom they foretold. * Therefore, having mightily contended and suffered for the truth, * with joy thou hast preached also to those in Hades, * of God's manifestation in the flesh, * who takes away the sin of the world * and grants unto us great mercy.