Icon- St. Stephen (Decani)

Icon of St. Stephen (Decani)

Keyhole cutout on back for hanging.

Approximate dimensions: 10 1/2" x 7 1/2"

St. Stephen was first martyr of Christianity.  According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was a deacon in the early church at Jerusalem who aroused the enmity of members of various synagogues by his teachings.  He was accused of blasphemy and at his trial, he made a long speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment of him and was then stoned to death. His martyrdom was witnessed by Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who would later himself become a follower of Jesus and known as Paul the Apostle.

Decani or Visoki Dečani is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Dečani, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by Serbian king Stefan Dečanski.  Its twenty major cycles of fresco murals represent the largest preserved gallery of Serbian medieval art, featuring over 1000 compositions and several thousand portraits.