19th C. Icon St. Floros and Lauros with Archangel Michael Holding the Holy Face
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19th C. Russian Icon of St. Floros and Lauros with Archangel Michael Holding the Holy Face.
This stunning 19th-century Russian icon depicts Saints Floros and Lauros alongside Archangel Michael, who holds the revered Holy Face of Christ. The twin saints, known for their steadfast faith and martyrdom, are portrayed with serene expressions, embodying spiritual devotion and strength.
The twin brothers, St. Floros and Lauros The Patron Saints of horses, were architects and stone masons, born in Illyria during the 2nd Century. Ordered to build a heathen temple, they converted the local population to Christianity and dedicated the completed building for Christian worship. They were consequently tortured and thrown to their deaths down a well. According to the Russian version of their lives many years later, the inhabitants of the place where they met their deaths, observed horses drinking water which flowed from a dried up well. Investigating, they found the bodies at the bottom of the well. After the miraculous discovery of the relics, they were transferred to the Pantocrater Monastery in Constantinople. On the 18th August, the Festival of Florus and Laurus, it is the Russian custom to drive horses to a river or pond. A Molebin is celebrated and after the blessing of the water, the horses are bathed.