Saint Ahmed Al-Khattat the Calligrapher

Orthodox icon of Saint Ahmed Al-Khattat the Calligrapher on thick plywood 20mm, which does not sting and keeps its shape over time. Preparation with acrylic stucco and have been used acrylic colors. It has been covered with varnish to keep the colors undiluted in time and humidity. Hanging clip included on the back of the icon.   

St. Ahmed was born in Constantinople in the 17th century. He was well-educated, worked as a book-keeper, and rose to the position of Scribe of the Second Rank in the Chancellery of the Sultan. St. Ahmed had a Russian slave woman with whom he co-habited, but allowed to go to Church of the Christians on official days. When she came back from the Church he would sense an ineffable aroma on her breath and he asked what she had been eating to smell like that. She told him that she had eaten antidoro and drunk holy water. When he heard this, he invited a priest from the Great Church of Constantinople and told him to prepare a place for him to go when the Patriarch was serving the liturgy. When the Patriarch blessed the people, rays of light flashed from the three candles and from his fingers and touched the heads of all the Christians but left Ahmet’s alone. When he saw this wonder, he called to the priest and was baptized, and was a secret Christian for quite a long time. But at some gathering there was a disagreement between the great and good who were present as to who was the greatest. When he was asked, he proclaimed loudly that the greatest of all was the faith of the Christians. He confessed that he himself was a Christian and preached with boldness the whole of the mystery of the dispensation of Christ’s incarnation. He then suffered the blessed death of martyrdom. He was beheaded on May 3, 1682. His feast day is on May 3.