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St. Nikephoros the Leper

$28.00
SKU: icon1028

St. Nikephoros the Leper - Classic / 6in (as with nearly all of our icons) will be **made-to-order** once your order is placed. Our typical lead time for made-to-order icons is between 7 and 15 days. See our Frequently Asked Questions page for additional information.

St. Nikephoros the Leper

St. Nikephroros and the Coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2 and COVID-19)
(Taken from an ukaz from Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, ROCOR):

It has been reported that, “the newly-glorified Saint Nikephoros the Leper has appeared in Greece to a pious Orthodox serviceman and assured him that he will intercede for all who ask his prayers to be protected and healed from the Coronavirus.”

Troparion, Tone 1:

“All the angels were awestruck by the courage and fortitude of Saint Nikephoros the Leper, in ascetic deeds and contests, for like another Job he suffered pain, with patience, ever-glorifying God, who has crowned him now with glory, granting him grace to work great, wondrous miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics and their aid, Rejoice O shining beacon of light, Rejoice for thy relics now exude a fragrance bringing joy to all.”

Kontakion, Tone 8:

“The valiant athlete of endurance and fortitude, the steadfast diamond of great patience and long-suffering, was tried by the affliction and pains of illness, and who in this way did glorify the Most High God, let us praise and laud the leper Nikephoros, saying unto him: Rejoice, true namesake of victory.”

St. Nikephoros the Leper

St. Nikephroros and the Coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2 and COVID-19)
(Taken from an ukaz from Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, ROCOR):

It has been reported that, "the newly-glorified Saint Nikephoros the Leper has appeared in Greece to a pious Orthodox serviceman and assured him that he will intercede for all who ask his prayers to be protected and healed from the Coronavirus."

Troparion, Tone 1:

“All the angels were awestruck by the courage and fortitude of Saint Nikephoros the Leper, in ascetic deeds and contests, for like another Job he suffered pain, with patience, ever-glorifying God, who has crowned him now with glory, granting him grace to work great, wondrous miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics and their aid, Rejoice O shining beacon of light, Rejoice for thy relics now exude a fragrance bringing joy to all.”

Kontakion, Tone 8:

“The valiant athlete of endurance and fortitude, the steadfast diamond of great patience and long-suffering, was tried by the affliction and pains of illness, and who in this way did glorify the Most High God, let us praise and laud the leper Nikephoros, saying unto him: Rejoice, true namesake of victory."

(Taken from Orthodox Wiki)

Father Nicephorus was born Nicholas Tzanakakis in 1890 in a village of Serikari of Chania, Crete. His parents, who were simple and pious villagers, died while he was a small child, leaving him an orphan, under the care of his grandfather. When he was thirteen he moved to Chania and began to work in a barbershop. Soon after he began to show signs of Hansen's disease (i.e. leprosy). When he was sixteen years old his disease became more visible. As leprosy was a transmissible disease that was treated with fear, Nicholas fled to Egypt to escape an exile to Spinaloga, an island leper colony. The disease continued to advance as he worked in a barbershop in Alexandria, Egypt. At the suggestion of a cleric who told him of Lovokomeio, the home for lepers on the island of Chios, Nicholas fled again.

In 1914 at the age of 24, Nicholas arrived at the home for lepers in Chios that was administered by the priest Anthimus Vagianos, later remembered as St. Anthimus of Chios. The chapel of St. Lazarus at the leper home, with its wonder-working icon of the Panagia of Ypakoe (Obedience), provided an atmosphere that opened for Nicholas his spirituality and faith. Within two years Fr. Anthimus saw that Nicholas was ready for the schema and tonsured him a monk with the name Nicephorus (Νικηφóρος).

His illness continued, as it would be until 1947 before a treatment is found for stopping leprosy. Yet, Nicephorus continued his obedience, fasting and working in the gardens, as a unique spiritual relationship grew between the monk Nikephorus and his mentor Fr, Anthimus. From this he compiled a catalogue of the miracles of St. Anthimus that he had seen with his own eyes. Nicephorus would pray for hours at night, performing countless prostrations, yet not offering a word to anyone nor spoiling his heart on anyone. He became the head chanter of the church. However, as he slowly lost his eyesight because of his illness, most of the hymns were chanted by others.

In 1957, Lovokomeio was closed and Nicephorus, along with the remaining patients, was moved to the Anti-Leper Station of St. Barbara in Aigaleo, west of Athens. At that time Nicephorus was about 67 years old, and his body and eyes had been totally transformed by his illness. At the Anti-Leper station lived a priest, Fr. Eumenius, who had been cured of the disease through the recent medical advances and decided to remain in the station near his fellow patients. Fr. Eumenius soon became a spiritual child of the monk Nicephorus, to whom as a reward for his patience, the Lord had granted many gifts.

Many people began to visit the leper monk Nicephorus, to receive his blessing. Confined to his bed, racked with pains and barely able to see, he would call on his visitors saying, "My children, do you pray? And how do you pray? …with the prayer of Jesus you should pray, with the "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Thus you should pray."

On January 4, 1964, Fr. Nicephorus reposed in the Lord, at the age of 74. His holy relics were fragrant when they were later uncovered.

On December 1, 2012, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople glorified St. Nicephorus and added his name to the calendar of commemorations.

About our Icons

Classic, High Quality, and Premium are our three lines of mounted icons, and differ according to mounting type.

Classic Icons are smooth prints mounted to a birch veneered wooden icon panel. Our panels are resistant to warping, and we use the same high quality pigment-based inks and high resolution images found in our High Quality and Premium lines. Classic Icons are our most affordable line of mounted icons, while still demonstrating our unwavering commitment to exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

High Quality Icons are printed with archival, pigment-based inks, on a special, artist grade canvas selected for its extremely unobtrusive weave. The canvas prints are then mounted on solid poplar icon panels, drum sanded to a perfectly flat finish. Traditional hardwood (oak) support slats are inserted in the reverse of the panel to prevent warping. Our panels are identical to those used for centuries in the creation of hand painted icons. This combination of carefully selected components gives our High Quality Icons a look and feel like no other. While others have since imitated our innovative mounted icon design, Damascene Gallery remains the original.

Premium Icons are something truly special: the “top tier” of our mounted icon offerings. Premium icons consist of a stunning archival quality print on a solid-poplar panel with kovcheg (a raised border around the main icon). We exclusively use the finest fine art paper available on the market and finish our icons with a UV-inhibiting coating that yields a color stability that has earned these icons an archival rating. The backs of the panels are finished in a beautiful light stain and even the hardwood slats have an ornamental touch. These stunning icons required years of development and we have given every detail our full attention. These are definitely not your simple “run-of-the-mill” icons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Damascene Gallery

Our Mounted Icons

  • What is the normal lead time on your Mounted Icons?

    The vast majority of Damascene Gallery icons are made-to-order and, thus, have a lead-time of between 7 and 15 days. In some cases, it is possible to expedite icon orders.

  • What is the return policy on icons?

    We stand behind our icons 100% and gladly accept returns or exchanges whenever there are issues of quality or workmanship. That said, because our icons are made-to-order, returns are generally not accepted when no defect is present. Return requests are thus evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Concerning order cancellation Orders for In-Stock icons may be cancelled without question up until the time of shipment by contacting us and requesting the cancellation. Made-to-order icons, however, may only be cancelled without a restocking fee provided that we haven’t yet begun work on the icons, which usually commences on the same day as the order. Orders containing made-to-order icons that are already in production are generally not able to be cancelled since they are being produced specifically according to your specifications. Order cancellations for in-process made-to-order icons are, nonetheless, handled on a case-by-case basis and we encourage you to contact us if you have any further questions.

  • What do you mean by “Classic,” “High Quality,” “Premium,” and “Large Format” icons?

    Classic, High Quality, and Premium are our three lines of mounted icons, and differ according to mounting type. Classic Icons may be printed on a smooth surface or on artist grade canvas. Classic Icons are smooth prints mounted on a board with an MDF (medium-density fiberboard) core. Our boards are resistant to warping, and we use the same high quality pigment-based inks and high resolution images found in our High Quality and Premium lines. Classic Icons are our most affordable line of mounted icons, while still demonstrating our commitment to exceptional quality and craftsmanship. Classic with Canvas Icons are produced with the same artist grade canvas as our High Quality Icons (see directly below) and mounted on the MDF core board of our standard Classic Icons. Priced the same as our Classic Icons, our Classic with Canvas line is an excellent choice for a distinctive and beautiful icon. High Quality Icons are printed with archival, pigment-based inks, on a special, artist grade canvas selected for its extremely unobtrusive weave. The canvas prints are then mounted on solid poplar boards, sanded to a perfectly flat finish. Traditional hardwood (oak) support slats are inserted in the reverse of the panel to prevent warping. Our panels are identical to those used for centuries in the creation of hand painted icons. This combination of carefully selected components gives our High Quality Icons a look and feel like no other. Premium Icons are something truly special: the “top tier” of our mounted icon offerings. With the same solid wood boards and hardwood backing slats as our High Quality Icons, Premium Icons utilize a traditional kovcheg (raised border with recessed space in the center for the image) to create the look and feel of genuine, hand-painted icons, at a fraction of the price. Large Format Icons are icons with a width or height greater than 16 inches. Four mounting options are available for our Large Format Icons. Many of our Classic Icons and High Quality Icons are available in Large Format.

  • Can you explain Damascene Gallery’s approach to icon sizing?

    The “add to cart” sizes in our online shop are the vertical or horizontal dimension, whichever is greater, in inches. For example, if an icon has a larger vertical dimension than the horizontal dimension, the selected size will indicate the vertical dimension. That said, it is important to note that the other, shorter dimension will “float” depending on the selected size. An icon with a 9″ vertical dimension will not necessarily have a 7″ horizontal dimension even though 7″ × 9″ is a common size for artwork, photographs, and frames. Reproductions of icons will match the original ratio of length and width and this varies with each icon. If you wish to determine what the width of your icon will be (or the height if your icon has a larger horizontal dimension), save the product image from the storefront and examine it’s length and width. Your width can be determined from the following formula: Resulting Width = Selected Height x (Image Width / Image Height)

  • Are your icons available in other sizes than the ones that appear as options on the website?

    If you are interested in a non-standard size on any of our icons, please let us know and we will determine if we can accomodate your request.

  • Do your icons have a recessed “kovcheg” where the image is affixed?

    Our Premium Icons have this feature.

  • Do you offer gold-leafing on your mounted icons?

    We have produced many icons with gilded halos and are currently working to make this an optional add-on to any of our icons (a benefit of using canvas). Until this service is made available through the website, gilding requests are handled on a case by case basis.

About Damascene Gallery

  • Where is Damascene Gallery located?

    Our headquarters is now in Wayne, West Virginia, less than a mile from the Hermitage of the Holy Cross. We are in the process of launching our physical storefront and chapel of St. John of Damascus, our heavenly patron. Be sure to come and visit us when you have a chance!

  • What is Damascene Gallery’s contact information?

    Mailing Address
    1373 Left Fork of Miller’s Fork Road
    Wayne, WV 25570-5317
    Email: icons@damascenegallery.com
    We look forward to hearing from you!

Miscellaneous Questions

  • Tell me more about your full iconostasis and Church projects.

    Damascene Gallery is pleased to offer project based services catered to your situation. We have numerous full icon sets for iconostases and we are able to physically construct an iconostasis for your church to house the icons. Additionally, we offer fresco icons including full layout services for your church to create the effect of having a fully painted church. This includes the offering of several different varieties of iconographic toweling with numerous options for ornaments, floral borders, etc. We are a full-service icon provider and will do everything we can to accommodate your project.