Hand painted icon of Saint Benedict, made in Mount Athos, on natural wood. The icon is delivered in a wooden box.
Saint Benedict was born in 480 AD in Nursia, Italy, to devout parents who raised him according to the christian teachings. When Saint Benedict reached adulthood, he went to a gorge in the Apennine Mountains and practiced asceticism through prayer and reading. Due to his exemplary life, his reputation spread to the surrounding areas, gathering about 170 monks around him. This led to the founding of a monastery on Mount Cassino in 540 AD, where Saint Benedict became the founder of the Benedictine Order, which exists to this day in the Western/Catholic Church. In total, he established twelve monasteries, each populated with twelve monks. As Saint Benedict realized that he had a few days in life, he requested the preparation of his tomb. Six days later, Saint Benedict peacefully fell asleep in the Lord, as he had foreseen, at the age of 62 in the year 543 AD. His memory is honored on March 14th by the Orthodox Church.
