Handwritten icon of Saint Larisa of Goth.
- Iconography of Larisa Gotfskaya
- Life of Larisa Gotfskaya
- How does the image of Larisa Gotfskaya help?
- The meaning of the icon of Larisa of Goth
- Buy an icon of Larisa Gotfa
- Which icon to buy as a gift
- Calculate the cost of an icon
On the golden background of the icon there is a half-length figure of the holy martyr Larisa of Goth. The face is slightly turned around. The saint's gaze is fixed on the viewer. Larisa is dressed in a red maforia over a blue tunic and with a white scarf covering her head. Where the red color of the holy maforia symbolizes the martyrdom, the blood shed for Christ. The blue tunic under the maforia and the blue cap under the white scarf represent the heavenly purity of the holy martyr. According to her life, Saint Larisa remained a virgin until the last days of her life, which is why she is usually depicted on icons with her hair flowing. The color scheme of the icon is subordinated to the overall harmony of the image, successfully built on the contrast of scarlet, dark blue and white. In her right hand, Saint Larisa holds a cross, as a reminder of the Savior’s suffering on the cross. The open left palm is facing the worshipers, symbolizing righteousness and openness of a pure soul.
Correct, harmonious facial features personify the spiritual beauty of a celestial being. A stern facial expression, without excessive sensuality and emotionality, shows detachment from the world, concentration in serving the Lord. The face is painted with delicate ocher melts. The pinkish tones of the blush and lips contrast with the olive color of the sankir, which gives the face additional volume and expressiveness, softness and warmth.
Straight and wide folds of clothing set a certain rhythm and movement of the icon, expressing the complete orderliness of spiritual forces. Their strict geometric structure reveals the elasticity of spiritual energy. All elements of the icon are painted with thin, transparent melts, which give depth, softness, and unearthly airiness to the appearance of Saint Larisa.
The icon of Larisa Gotfa is made in the canonical style, in compliance with the centuries-old traditions of icon painting. When painting the icon, a pure and natural palette of colors was used: minerals, semi-precious stones, ocher, earths manually ground with a chime and mixed with yolk. The rich color palette of natural pigments made it possible to achieve moderate saturation and softness of colors characteristic of the Moscow school of writing.
Icon painter: Osipov Alexander. 2021 Sergiev Posad.
Iconography of Saint Larisa of Goth
According to tradition, on the icons Larisa Gotfskaya is depicted as a martyr: in a red maforia and with a cross in her right hand.
Holy Martyr Larisa of Goth, life
The holy martyr and saint of God, Larisa of Gothia lived in Gothia (Old Crimea) in the 4th century after the birth of Christ, at that time the country was ruled by Emperor Gratian. And the ruler of Gothia was the persecutor of Christians, the evil king Yungerich. Unrighteous aspirations and the rage of a darkened mind led Jüngerich to give a terrible order: to burn down a Christian monastery during a service. This happened around 375.
On that day, together with her brothers in faith, the holy martyr Larisa was burned alive. God glorified her along with the martyrs Vafusius, Aviv and Verk, the Gothic presbyters, Agnes, the monk Arpina, Reas, Isk, Sigitz, Igrafrax, Sila, Soniril, Fermus, Suimvl, Phillus, Constance, Prince Agathan and the holy martyrs Anna. Alla, Moiko, Mamika, Uirko, Animaisa (Animaida), Gaafa, Queen of the Goths and Duklida.
Subsequently, the widow of the emperor, Alla, together with her daughter Duklida, collected the honorable remains of the burnt Christians and secretly transported them to Syria. For this pious deed, the enemies of the Orthodox faith threw stones at Alla, and soon after severe beatings, the spirit of her and her son Agathon went to the Lord. The relics of the holy righteous remained with Duklida. Soon she came to Cyzicus and donated part of the relics for the consecration of the temple. Many years later, Duclida peacefully departed to Christ.
Little information has reached us about the earthly path of Larisa Gotfskaya, but according to legend, she died as a virgin. The Lord glorified his chosen one in the face of the holy martyr. And the Church established the day of her memory on April 8.
Life
The holy martyr Larisa was a very beautiful girl who lived with her parents in Gothia in the 4th century. This country mainly consisted of Germanic tribes with their own rulers. Larisa belonged to the Ostrogoth tribe (the territory of modern Romania). Her parents were Christians, so love for the Lord was instilled in her from childhood. She grew up as a modest and kind girl, faithful to the Lord with all her soul. Larisa tried not to refuse help to people in need. At one time, Gotthia maintained good relations with the Roman Empire, and therefore there were no obstacles to Christian worship. They calmly built their churches and monasteries. But when the new ruler Athanaric (363-381) came to power, he immediately began to massively destroy believers in Christ. This merciless tyrant gave his malicious and criminal orders throughout the country. With ardent and furious speeches, he sowed fierce hatred of Christians in the hearts of the pagans.
How does the icon of St. Larisa of Goth help?
Through His saintly icons, the Lord sends us what we ask for, useful for our souls. The saints, just like us, who have walked the earthly path, know our needs. They experienced the same experiences, overcame similar earthly difficulties. When we ask a saint for intercession, we ask that he convey our prayer to God and that the saint’s prayers will be heard faster than our sincere appeal to them. The icon of Larisa of Gotfa helps to establish a prayer connection with the patron saint. Having in front of us the visual image of Saint Larissa, our prayer is not dissipated into empty ideas and dreams. And according to the faith of the one who asks, the Lord, through His saints, gives us what we ask. Larisa Gotfskaya is revered in the Christian world as a saint and martyr.
Before the icon of Saint Larisa they pray:
— About strengthening faith — About help in organizing earthly affairs — About healing of bodily and spiritual infirmities.
Icon of Saint Larisa of Goth, meaning
The meaning of the icon of Larisa of Goth lies in the indestructible strength of spirit, represented in the image of a saint. She personifies the power of faith, martyrdom, and a firm determination to defend Christian ideals, even at the cost of her own life. The image of Anastasia Rimskaya, the story of her life’s journey, inspire us, encourage us to fervent prayer and pious deeds. Truly wonderful is God in His saints! Dear believers, brothers and sisters! Do not doubt the help of Saint Larissa! Open your heart to her in sincere prayer and she will hear us, heal spiritual and physical infirmities, and help in the successful arrangement of earthly affairs.
Do not forget that in order for a miracle to happen, we ourselves must take care: regularly, with attention, read the prayer, do deeds of faith and love. And don’t forget to give thanks: to thank all the people sent to us by the grace of God to solve our life’s troubles, who shared our joy and sorrow. To thank the Saint, whose prayerful support our heart yearned for, because how many people pray to him for help, but he heard and helped us too. And most importantly, thank the Lord for His boundless love for mankind. He gave the world His saints and every second helps us, people who hope for His great mercies.
Everything in the world happens according to the wise providence of God. Difficulties and sorrows, success and joys. Through earthly trials the Lord strengthens us. By helping each other, praying to the heavenly saints, we are more firmly united in the One Church of Christ. And we believe that the holy martyr Anastasia of Rome will hear all our prayers and show us the boundless mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for everything!
Larisa's birthday is April 8
Every year on April 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Larisa of Gotfa.
This young virgin, with her courage and boundless faith in Christ, gained the crown of holiness and, together with other saints of God, was awarded eternal life.
On this day, congratulations are accepted by all women bearing the name Larisa - Orthodox Christians usually celebrate name days on the day of remembrance of their heavenly patroness.
A young Christian girl from the land of pagans
In the 4th century, Germanic Gothic tribes lived on the territory of modern Romania, and their entire country was called Gothia. They were under the rule of the Roman Empire, in which Christianity had already won. Despite the fact that most of the Goths were pagans, the Christians who lived among them enjoyed sufficient freedom to build churches and worship in them.
However, the hidden hatred of pagan fanatics at times broke through. Hard times for Christians began with the coming to power of the Gothic king Athanaric. He hated everyone who believed in Christ and subjected them to all kinds of persecution. At this time, there lived in Gothia a young beautiful Christian girl named Larisa. The name day on October 8 is celebrated on the day of her memory.
Threat to Christian lives
Larisa's parents were Christians, and from childhood they instilled in her a love for the true God and the idea that for His sake one could sacrifice everything in the world, even life itself. When, in 375, the persecution of Christians took a particularly harsh form, it became dangerous to attend divine services. However, Larisa, having cast aside fear, continued to go to church regularly.
And then one day, when she came to the temple and, standing at the very entrance, indulged in prayer, the doors suddenly swung open. Turning around, Larisa saw a warrior standing on the threshold. Behind him could be seen a cart in which stood the figure of the pagan idol Wotan. The warrior shouted to the entire temple that everyone who came out to worship the idol would remain alive, and all those who refused would immediately die.
Death in the name of God
Seeing Larisa and being amazed by her beauty, he invited her to freely leave the church without any conditions.
However, the courageous Christian woman, seeing that none of those present in the temple had moved, chose to die along with everyone else for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ.
The enraged warrior slammed the door, after which the church was set on fire. Three hundred Christians inside, as well as Larisa herself, died in the fire.
The Holy Orthodox Church honors the memory of all who gave their lives for the glory of Christianity. Larisa's name day is April 8. This is one of the days on which their bright names are remembered during worship.
The Holy Great Martyr, having found eternal life at the Throne of God, became a guardian angel for those who received her name in holy baptism. Therefore, Larisa’s name day (angel’s day) is celebrated on the day of her memory.
This is a tradition spanning centuries.
When celebrating Larisa’s name day, it is impossible not to turn to the heavenly patroness herself in prayer and ask for her blessing and help in everyday affairs.
It is generally accepted that Saint Larisa protects from committing rash acts, and thereby relieves many disappointments in life.
In addition, as a saint of God, standing at the Holy Throne, she can pray to the Lord to send down everything that will be for the benefit of people.
History of the name Larisa
The origin of this name itself is known that it is derived from the name of the city of Larissa, which was once located on the territory of Greece. It is known from mythology that this was the name of one of the nymphs - the granddaughter of the god of the seas Poseidon. There is a legend that one day she was playing ball and, having stumbled, fell into the Penei River. On the spot where this happened, a city was built, named in her honor.
This name means “swallow” in Greek. It is known that in Rus' Larisa, as well as the owners of all other names, began to celebrate their name days only in the 17th century.
Statistics over the last two centuries show that in Moscow, approximately three girls out of every thousand newborns were so named at birth, in other cities there were slightly more - about seven, and in rural areas their number increased to ten.
Qualities inherent in Larisas
Speaking about what qualities are most characteristic of Larisas, it should be noted that the owners of this name, as a rule, are distinguished by a submissive character.
Often it helps to avoid conflicts in family life and in the production team, but at the same time it often becomes the cause of actions that later have to be regretted, which could have been avoided by showing firmness. First of all, this applies to issues of personal life.
Women named Larisa are often successful in fields such as philology, linguistics and programming. This is explained by their extraordinary creative talent. Another characteristic feature is their love for children, to whom they are able to devote their entire lives. In this case, it is important to note that we are talking not only about our own children, but also about others.
Thanks to this quality, women with this name often become good teachers and educators. And although Larisa’s name day is celebrated only once a year, their heavenly patroness abundantly bestows upon them the love and patience that are so necessary both for working with children and for personal happiness.
Source: //nlo-mir.ru/religia/44604-imeniny-larisy-8-aprelja.html
Buy an icon of the holy martyr Larisa
In the Radonezh icon painting workshop you can buy or order a handwritten icon of the holy martyr Larisa. Call us and we will help you choose a plot, a compositional solution for the icon, its optimal size and design, or we will write an icon according to your sample.
Free delivery within Moscow. If desired, the icon can be consecrated in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
The image of Larisa Gotfa, made by the icon painters of the Radonezh workshop, like any handmade icon, carries within itself the living warmth of human hands and a loving heart. Each icon painted with love is unique and inimitable.
Peace and goodness to you, dear brothers and sisters, and may the holy servant of God, Larisa Gotfskaya, accompany you throughout your entire life’s journey.
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