St. Joseph the Hycicast of Mount Athos icon Size mounted on wood:8" X 11"

St. Joseph the Hycicast of Mount Athos icon Size mounted on wood:8" X 11"Orthodox icon of Saint Joseph the Hycicast, . . Commemorated: August 16th. Born into a poor family on the Greek island of Paros, Francis Kottis was forced to leave school early to work and support his family after his father's death. While working as a vendor in Athens as a young man, he began reading about the lives of saints and ascetics, feeling a strong call to the monastic life. He prayed ascetically in caves on Mount Penteli before leaving for

He lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer

Saint Paisius distinguished himself by his great humility

abandoning his worldly career

When Constantine VI and Irene came to the imperial throne and restored the use of sacred images in churches

They did not understand what he was telling them

Nectarios of Aegina

resulting in the grievous Babylonian Captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem: “My God

she kept it secret for five months

the monks of which he guided until his own death

and then wrapped in a sheet

Edmund was captured by the Danes at Hoxne

but with God's help she preserved her purity