ELIGIBLE FOR SALE

This beautiful Pendant Necklace is crafted with walnut wood. Wear it as a necklace or use it as a praying tool. It can also be used as a car rearview mirror pendant. 

Approximate length of the necklace: 24" 

Approximate size of the cross: 1.3" x 0.8" x 0.15"

Choose between light wood or dark wood.

With the purchase of this item you are supporting the monastic communities of Mount Athos, Greece.

The Story Behind This Icon:

This icon is a replica of the original Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos, a miraculous wall-painting/icon found in the Docheiariou Monastery on Mount Athos, Greece dating to the 11^th century. Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos is known for responding quickly to prayers.

In 1646, a monk of the monastery lost his sight after disobeying for the second time the voice of the Icon (which he initially believed was from a human being) commanding him not to pass by the Icon with the smoke from his lighted torch.  Following the loss of his sight, the monk spent his days in front of the Icon praying to the Holy Virgin Mary for forgiveness. His prayers were granted when, for the third time he heard a voice from the Icon: “Today I give you your sight and from this time on, do not pass through here with lighted torches, I am the Guardian of this monastery and I respond quickly to those who call me.  From now on my name is “Gorgoepikoos” (She Who Is Quick to Hear)."  Since then, the Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos has responded to many prayers with miracles.

The icon is remembered by the church on October 1.

***

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood 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. 

Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

By Saint Paisios the Athonite

Size: 5.6" x 8" (14.4 x 20.5 cm) 

Pages: 254

Binding: Softcover 

From the Prologue: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

I am much troubled by my conscience for not having kept detailed notes about the virtuous Fathers who had lived in those latter years, about whom I had learned from other, devout Elders when I was a novice monk, just as I am also troubled by my great negligence for not having retained, at least in my memory, all the divine events which those holy Elders had experienced, and which they recounted to me, with great simplicity in order to help me spiritually. 

The Fathers of those days had great faith and simplicity. Although most of them were basically illiterate, they nevertheless received constant divine enlightenment because of their humility and fighting spirit. While in our own days, knowledge has increased, unfortunately, logic has shaken people's faith from its foundations and filled their souls with questions and misgivings. For this reason, it follows that we should be deprived of miracles, because miracles are experienced and cannot be explained by logic. 

The terribly worldly spirit which prevails in modern man, who has directed his every effort towards how to live better, with greater ease and less exertion, has also, unfortunately, affected most spiritual people ....

100% organic wool. Handcrafted, following the exact traditional method that has been used for hundreds of years! 

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

The simplest most perfect prayer for any situation - throwing ourselves on the mercy of our beloved Christ, assured that He knows best for our lives, better than our own wants and requests. The monastic fathers of the Church encourage us to learn to say the Jesus Prayer in our hearts at all times and in every hour. The prayer rope is a perfect tool to learn to pray in this fashion, holding the rope in the right hand and thumbing through a knot each time we say the prayer. 

This is the handiwork of the monks of the Monastic Cell of St. John Chrysostom of the Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece. 

• 33 Knots Prayer Bracelet with a knitted cross (ideal for small/medium size wrists)
• 50 Knots Prayer Rope with a knitted cross and a rich tassel
• 100 Knots Prayer Rope with a knitted cross and a rich tassel 

Due to the handmade nature of this product, there may be slight variations in the size and/or craftmanship, making each item unique. The color, size and shape of the beads may also slightly vary. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

Saint Joseph was born on the island of Paros, Greece, in 1897. His father passed away when his was very young in age and he grew up with his mother and his six siblings. He attended school only until 2nd grade; as one of the oldest, he had to work and help his mother. It was not until his twenties, when he saw a vision of two Angels dressed like guards leading him to God; he then began to read books about the Holy Fathers. As he read about them, he realized that he wanted to be like them and lead a life like theirs. In 1921, having practiced living ascetically for almost two years, he decided to go to Mount Athos. Eventually, he met Father Arsenios who  became his companion in asceticism and hesychasm. After some years, they returned to Katounakia, where Saint Joseph became a spiritual father. Many came to him to join his brotherhood but most could not maintain the level of extreme asceticism Saint Joseph’s practiced. Many of the monks in his brotherhood eventually became saints: Joseph of Vatopaidi; Father Ephraim (who founded most of the monasteries in the United States); Father Haralambos of Dionysiou; and Saint Ephraim of Katounakia (who was not a part of the brotherhood, but often received guidance from Saint Joseph). Saint Joseph fell asleep in 1959.

Saint Joseph’s feast day is celebrated on August 15, which is also the Dormition of the Theotokos. As a result, some Fathers on Mount Athos celebrate his feast day on August 16.

***

This icon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background consists 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.

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. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

Saint Catherine lived in the late 3rd century, in Alexandria, Egypt. Born into a wealthy and powerful family, Saint Catherine was also remarkably intelligent and beautiful. She was raised Christian in secret by her mother. During an especially large pagan festival, Saint Catherine was inspired by the Christian martyrs sacrificing their lives for their faith and went to the ruler of the state, Maximinus, to proclaim her Christianity. Maximinus was charmed by Catherine’s beauty, so he tried to convert her to paganism by bringing 50 of the states wisest pagan men to sponsor a debate. He wagered that if Catherine lost a single one of the disputes, she would have to convert; but she didn’t. She won every debate, and Maximinus resorted to tempting her with riches to convert. After she refused, she was jailed and tortured on a spiked wheel which miraculously broke sending blades flying in all directions and wounding the soldiers. Eventually, she was beheaded and her body was carried from a flight of angels to Mount Sinai.

Saint Catherine's feast day is celebrated on November 25.

***

This icon of Saint Catherine 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 consists 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. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

This icon is a replica of the original Theotokos Glikofiloussa, “Sweet Kissing”, an icon portraying The Virgin Mary caressing her son.

Just like the icon of Panagia Portaitissa, the original icon was thrown into the sea by a faithful woman when she refused to hand it over during the Byzantine Iconoclasm (8^th & 9^th century). The icon did not sink, and instead traveled upright in the sea from the Dardanelles in northwestern Turkey all the way to Mount Athos, Greece, where it was received with great honor by the Abbot and the fathers of the Philotheou Monastery. A spring of holy water sprouted on the shore at the very spot where the icon was placed.

Many miracles have been reported to this day. To name one, in 1801, a man stole the precious offerings placed around the icon and left Mount Athos in a boat. The boat sailed, but, despite the excellent weather, it remained immobilized in the sea - it would not move any further. When the Abbot realized that the treasures were gone, he sent monks in various directions. Two of them located the immobile ship and recovered the treasures. The man asked for forgiveness, which the monks granted, as they did not want to punish him.

The icon is remembered by the church on Bright Monday.

***

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood 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. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

Theotokos Pantanassa is one of many of Mount Athos' miraculous icons. The first miracle was witnessed when a young man visiting from Cyprus entered the church: a glowing light and an invisible power coming from the icon pushed him down to the ground. The young man later confessed that he was not a believer and that he used to participate in rituals of black magic. He repented and became an Orthodox Christian. The icon is known for its many miracles. There are countless testimonies of faithful who have been healed from various diseases, even cancer.

 ***

This icon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background consists 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. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made…
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us;
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth…
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him”

John 1:1-3, 14, 16

***

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.

Spiritual Counsels, Volume IV: Family Life

By Saint Paisios the Athonite

Size: 6" x 9" (15.3 x 23 cm) 

Pages: 307

Binding: Softcover 

From The Young Facing the Two Roads of Life:

"Married life and Monastic life are both blessed

- Geronda, what should one say to young people who ask if monastic life is superior to married life? 

- To begin with, one must help them understand what the destiny of man is and what the meaning of life is. Then one can explain to them that both roads indicated by our Church are blessed, because each can lead them to Paradise if they abide by the will of God. Let's say that two people start out on a pilgrimage. One takes the bus using the public road and the other goes on foot along some trail. Both have the same goal. God rejoices in the one and marvels at the other just the same. It would be bad if he who goes on foot criticizes the other who takes the bus, or vice versa. 

Those young people who may be thinking about monasticism should know that the mission of the monk or the nun is a very high calling; it is to become an angel. In the next life, in Heaven, we will live like angels, Jesus Christ had tod the Sadducees. This is why some very philotimo-filled young people become monks or nuns and embark on their angelic life from this present life. 

But let no one think that those who go to the monastery will be saved simply because they became monks or nuns. Each person will account to God about whether he sanctified..."

From the Contents:

- Preface 

- The Young Facing the Two Roads of Life 

- Part One: Supporting the Family

- Part Two: Parents and their Obligations

- Part Three: Children and their Obligations

- Part Four: Spiritual Life

- Part Five: The Trials in our Life

- Part Six: The Death and the Future Life 

Archangel Raphael is lesser known than Archangels Gabriel and Michael – he is only explicitly mentioned once in Holy Scriptures, the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament – but is no less important to humanity and our faith. While Gabriel is a messenger and Michael is a warrior, Archangel Raphael is a healer, providing healing to the earth and its inhabitants. In Hebrew, his name means “It is God Who has healed”. He cares for the recovery of the sick, serves as the unseen guide for those who are traveling with important tasks and is the protector of weddings and conjugal love. It is also believed that Archangel Raphael was referenced in the Gospel of John, where the Apostle mentioned the pool called Bethesda in which an angel of the Lord descended and troubled the water, healing the first to step in – the angel, of course, being the Archangel Raphael.

***

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.

Spiritual Counsels, Volume V: Passions and Virtues

By Saint Paisios the Athonite

Size: 6" x 9" (15.3 x 23 cm) 

Pages: 283

Binding: Softcover 

From Chapter One, Self-Love and Its Consequences:

"All the passions are borne of self-love

- Geronda, what is self-love? 

- Self-love is to do the will of the old man within you, that is, to love that old man within. Gluttony and egoism, obstinacy and envy - all have self-love as their source. And so you see that one person seeks to accommodate only himself out of self-love, without any regard for others. Another person makes meticulous arrangements for his food, his sleep, so that nothing disturbs his well-being. Another desires to be taken into account, to be held in esteem; if he is slighted in the very least, if he doesn't get his way, he reacts badly. He thinks "Why aren't they taking me into consideration? I'll show them!" Indeed, self-love is a terrible thing!

- Geronda, how can anyone say, "For Thy sake we are killed all the day long? 

- If he sacrifices his will for the other's sake. The will contains our self within it; it has self-love. Whoever doesn't investigate whether that which comforts him also comforts someone else, but instead, starts by making demands like: " I want this; I want that," or "Why didn't you do this for me? Why didn't you give that to me?" will, in the end, be found to have directed by the devil. 

- There are some people, Geronda, who cannot be at peace unless they get their way. 

- How can they ever find peace since they place their self in what they want? If one places his self in all the things he wants, can he also have room for Christ? When he does not have his own self, and has, instead, the One, the most important that is, Christ, then he has everything. One who doesn't have Christ has nothing. If a person throws away his own self, God will give him everything in.."

From the Contents:

 - Preface

- Section One: The Passion

- Part One: Self Love: The Source of Passions

- Part Two: Pride the Root of Evil

- Part Three: Condemnation, the Great Injustice 

- Part Four: The Children of Self-Love and Pride

- Section Two: The Virtues 

- Part One: Humility the Singular Virtue

- Part Two: Spiritual Love 

- Part Three: Nobility and Philotimo

- Part Four: Children of Love and Humility 

- Epilogue: The Good Restlenssness

- Index 

Other books in this series: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man, Spiritual Awakening, Spiritual Struggle, Family Life, and On Prayer.

The Story Behind This Icon:

Saint Porphyrios was born in 1907 in a small village in Evoia, Greece. Still a young boy, he decided he wanted to become a monk and took a boat to Thessaloniki in order to find his way to Mount Athos. He pretended to be the nephew of a monk named Panteleimon, who became his spiritual father at Kafsokalivia. Saint Porphyrios became a monk at the age of fourteen. A few years later, an accident which almost led to his death if not for the intercession of the Theotokos, led him to return home to Evoia due to health concerns. He lived at the monastery of Saint Haralambos, where he was tonsured as a priest and eventually became a confessor. Many people came to visit him and he became well known around Greece for his spiritual capabilities. He later served as the priest for the Polyclinic Hospital in Athens, spending thirty three years there. By that time, he was sixty six years old, but Saint Porphyrios still wanted to do one thing in his life: build a monastery. Finding land on a hilltop in Milesi of Greece, he founded the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration. After living and catering to his new monastery for many years, he returned to Mount Athos and spent the last few years of his life in his old cell. He fell asleep in 1991.

Saint Porphyrios’ feast day is celebrated on December 2.

***

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.

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. 

***

This icon of Jesus Christ the Merciful 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.