Temporal
Translated from Russian
Br. Joseph Jose Muñoz
And The Iberon Icon
And The Iberon Icon
Rejoice, Keeper of the Portal most gracious,
who dost open to the faithful the doors of Paradise
who dost open to the faithful the doors of Paradise
(Akathist refrain)
The Myrrh-Streaming Icon
In 1982 Chilean convert Joseph Jose
Muñoz – accompanied by two friends from Canada – made a pilgrimage to the
ancient stronghold of Orthodox monasticism – Mount Athos.
Being by profession a teacher in
arts, painting, and
iconography [icon-painting],
he wanted to visit some sketes (small monastic communities, belonging to one of
the 20 monasteries of Mount Athos) as well as monasteries, which specialize in
icon-painting.
One of the companion friends who
accompanied Jose even decided to become a monk and remained on Mount Athos, at one
of the small sketes; Jose and his other companion [Fr. A] went on to the Danilov skete,
where icons were painted in the ancient Byzantine style, using the technique of
egg tempera.
After an eight-hour ascension of
the Mount on a difficult terrain, they were very tired and decided to stay at a
skete they saw below, on the slope of the mountain [hill] itself. This skete –
dedicated to Christ's Nativity – was very poor and his 14 monks sticked to a rather
strict monastic rules. The Abbot – Fr. Clement, warmly welcomed the travelers
and offered the traditional Athonite hospitality. He invited them to see the skete's
iconographic studio. Just as Jose entered the studio he felt the indescribable
splendor of the copy of the Iberon Icon of Theotokos that was hanging on one of
the skete walls.
Brother Joseph Jose Muños