{"id":79928,"date":"2021-05-14T20:31:29","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T17:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evagelidis.com\/?post_type=product&p=79928"},"modified":"2025-06-09T23:41:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T20:41:41","slug":"icon-saint-dimitrios-2","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/evagelidis.com\/en\/product\/icon-saint-dimitrios-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Icon Saint Demetrius"},"content":{"rendered":"

Icon Saint Demetrius<\/a> silkscreen of excellent quality with \u201c\u201d vivid \u201c\u201d colors and gold acrylic background.<\/h3>\n

Celebration 26 October<\/p>\n

Saint Demetrius was born around 280 – 284 AD and martyred under the emperors Diocletian and Maximianus in 303 AD or 305 AD or (most likely) 306 AD.<\/p>\n

Demetrios was the son of an aristocratic family in Thessaloniki. He soon rose through the ranks of the Roman army and at the age of 22 he was promoted to the rank of Kiliarchus. As an officer in the Roman army under the command of the Tetrarch (and then Emperor) Galerius Maximianus, when Diocletian was Emperor, he became a Christian and was imprisoned in Thessalonica in 303 AD for ignoring Emperor Diocletian’s decree \u201con the denial of Christianity\u201d. Shortly before, he had founded a youth circle for the study of the Bible.<\/p>\n

There was also a young Christian in prison, Nestor (see October 27<\/a>), who was about to face the formidable gladiator of the time, Lyaeus, in a duel. The young Christian visited Demetrius before the duel and asked for his help. St. Demetrius gave him his blessing and the result was that Nestor defeated Lycaeus and incurred the wrath of the emperor. He then ordered that both Nestor and Demetrius be put to death. <\/p>\n

The writers of the praises of Saint Demetrios, Eustathios of Thessaloniki, Gregory Palamas and Demetrios Chrysoloras, say that the body of the Saint was buried at the place of martyrdom, and the tomb was transformed into a deep well that gushed myrrh, hence the nickname of the Myrrh-bearer.<\/p>\n

In Byzantine icons and in modern hagiography, Saint Demetrius is presented several times as a rider on a red horse (as opposed to the white horse of Saint George<\/a>), trampling the unbelieving Lycian.<\/p>\n

Today Saint Demetrios is honoured as the patron saint of Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n

One of the many miracles of the Saint is the following. In 1823 A.D. the Turks who were defended on the Acropolis of Athens were preparing their ammunition to hit with their cannons the Greeks who were in the temple of St. Demetrios, but St. Demetrios performed his miracle to save the Christians and the gunpowder exploded in the hands of the Turks destroying part of the Parthenon monument. To remember this miracle, the temple has since been called St. Demetrius Loubardiaris, after the loubard, the cannon of the Turks that was destroyed.<\/p>\n