Sandblasted Icon of Blessed Elder Ephraim of Philotheou – Mount Athos

Description A Unique Handcrafted Icon by an Athonite Monk Featuring Blessed Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, Saint Joseph the Hesychast, and the Virgin Mary This special piece of monastic craftsmanship portrays Blessed Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, Saint Joseph the Hesychast, and the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). The image of the Saint is crafted using gold-painted sand, collected from the shores of the Athonite Peninsula. Elder Ephraim of Arizona, also known as Elder Ephraim of Philotheou (secular name: Ioannis Moraitis, born in Volos, Greece, on June 24, 1928 – reposed in Arizona, USA, on December 7, 2019), was a Greek archimandrite, missionary, and abbot of the Holy Monastery of Philotheou on Mount Athos. He later became the spiritual father of Saint Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona, under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Elder Ephraim was a devoted disciple and spiritual son of the great Saint Joseph the Hesychast. He became well known across North America for his monastic witness and missionary efforts. He revitalized four monasteries on Mount Athos, established seven women’s monasteries in Greece, and founded seventeen monasteries in the United States and Canada. He entered Mount Athos in 1947 as a member of Saint Joseph’s brotherhood. On July 13, 1948, he was tonsured a monk and given the name Ephraim. After the repose of his spiritual father on August 15, 1959, Elder Ephraim began guiding a small monastic brotherhood. In 1968, he and nine monks relocated from Nea Skete to the Cell of Saint Artemios in the Skete of Provata. In January 1973, he moved with a larger brotherhood of 25 monks to the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, where he was installed as Abbot. As this icon is entirely handmade, and the wood is crafted manually, slight natural variations in wood grain and texture may occur. The icon is available upon request. Origin: Mount Athos Dimensions: 19 x 15 cm