Commissioning of the Icon of St John the Baptist

It is with great joy to announce that the Ballarat Orthodox Community is commissioning an icon of our patron saint, the Holy Prophet John the Baptist and Forerunner", for the purposes of liturgical worship.

At the request of Mrs Barbara Leonard, and with the assistance of Fr Igor, the Iconographer Mr Philip Davydov from Russia, has agreed to undertake this important task.

Philip comes highly recommended and is respected around the world. His work can be seen on his web page www.sacredmurals.com.

The icon will be approximately 420mm X 315mm (approx 16.5 inches X 12.4 inches) in dimension; similar to the icon of the Theotokos that is on the stand in the church.

St John will be depicted in half-figure composition similar to this icon:

The script of the Icon will be in English. Philip plans to use 24 carat gold leaf and natural pigments in the Icon.The Icon will belong to the "Ballarat Orthodox Community" and will reside, for the most part, in St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which for the moment and foreseeable future, is the primary place of worship for the group. With the blessing of Fr Igor (or his representative or successor) the Icon will be available for private prayer or group prayer services outside of the Church from time to time. In the event that the Ballarat Orthodox Group were to no longer exist, the icon will either be transferred to Fr Igor's parish and held in Trust or be held in Trust by an individual appointed by Fr Igor (or his successor, as the case may be) until such time as the Ballarat Community reconvenes.The cost of commissioning the icon is estimated to be approximately $620 AU. Postage from Saint Petersburg is estimated to be $80 AU. Philip hopes the icon will be ready in April 2013. Already there have been a number of individuals who have pledged money towards this sacred project. If you are moved to help with this special event, please send me an email at: spirot67[at]gmail[dot]com .

With the Love of Christ and the prayers of the Holy Prophet John,

Spiro

Icon Completed- 22/03/2013 — 22-Mar-2013 21:09:55

Icon Near Completion- 9/03/2013 — 08-Mar-2013 14:45:54