St. Panteleimon Orthodox Icon

The St. Panteleimon Orthodox Icon is a hand-painted image of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church. He is especially venerated by the sick, by families praying for healing, by physicians, and by all who need mercy, patience, and hope in suffering.

This icon is made on a classic flat linden board without kovcheg. Instead of a recessed central field, the master creates depth through a finely hand-tooled decorative arch in the gold background. The arch frames the figure of Saint Panteleimon and gives the flat board an architectural, solemn character.

The saint is shown in a warm academic style. His face is youthful, gentle, and compassionate. In his hands he holds an open medicine box with healing remedies and a long measuring spoon, the traditional signs of a holy unmercenary physician.

Composition, Board, and Painting Style

The icon is painted on a flat board, but the composition is not visually flat. A decorative arch, created through fine gold tooling, separates the figure of Saint Panteleimon from the surrounding ornament. This gives the image the feeling of an open window into heavenly space.

The face of Saint Panteleimon is written in an academic, painterly manner. Unlike stricter Byzantine stylization, this style uses soft transitions of light and shadow, warm flesh tones, and natural facial modeling. The result is a calm, living expression full of compassion and readiness to help.

Saint Panteleimon wears the traditional garments of holy unmercenary physicians: a blue-green tunic and a bright red himation gathered in large folds. The collar and cuffs are richly decorated with enamel-style painting that imitates white pearls, blue sapphires, and red rubies.

The Symbolism of Color

The colors in this icon are not accidental. The red himation points to martyrdom, the blood shed for Christ, fiery faith, and the triumph of eternal life over death. The red garment covers the saint like a sign of divine protection.

The blue-green tunic points to youth, renewal, healing, hope, heavenly purity, and spiritual wisdom. This is especially fitting for Saint Panteleimon, who reached holiness at a young age and used medical knowledge as a work of mercy.

The gold background is a sign of divine light and the Kingdom of Heaven. It tells the viewer that the saint is not simply remembered as a historical physician, but glorified in eternity with God, where there is no sickness, pain, or sorrow.

Medicine Box and Measuring Spoon

The hands of Saint Panteleimon form the center of the icon’s meaning. In his left hand he holds an open wooden medicine box. The box is shown with compartments for healing remedies, ointments, and herbs, recalling the saint’s medical service to those who came to him in need.

The open lid of the box has a special meaning. It suggests that the saint’s help is not closed or reserved for a few. His mercy remains open to all who seek healing with faith and humility.

In his right hand, Saint Panteleimon holds a golden measuring spoon. In ancient and medieval medicine such a spoon was used to measure remedies carefully. On the icon it also carries a spiritual echo, reminding the faithful that the true healing of the soul is found in Christ.

Gold Leaf and Carpet-Style Tooling

The background, halo, and broad borders are covered with 23K gold leaf (960 purity). Over the prepared gesso, the master cuts a deep relief ornament by hand, creating a continuous carpet-style pattern of vines, geometric forms, and flowers.

This work gives the icon a jewel-like character. In candlelight or lamplight the gold surface shimmers and changes, almost like a precious church metalwork setting. The halo is also emphasized with strict radiant tooling, symbolizing grace and holiness.

At the lower edge of the icon, the saint’s name is written in a decorative cartouche. The inscription identifies him as Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon and completes the formal church composition.

Life of Saint Panteleimon

Saint Panteleimon lived in Nicomedia at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century. Before baptism he was called Pantoleon. He was born into a noble family and received excellent medical training from the famous physician Euphrosynus.

His life changed after meeting the Christian priest Hermolaus, who taught him about Christ, the true Physician of souls and bodies. According to tradition, Pantoleon prayed over a dead child bitten by a serpent, and the child was restored to life. After this miracle he received baptism and the name Panteleimon, meaning all-merciful.

As a Christian, Panteleimon treated the sick without payment, calling on the name of Christ. He healed the blind, the paralyzed, the suffering, and those abandoned by other physicians. During the persecution of Christians, he openly confessed Christ and accepted martyrdom in 305.

What People Pray for Before Saint Panteleimon

Orthodox Christians pray before Saint Panteleimon for healing of bodily illnesses, help during long treatment, recovery after injury, and strength before surgery. Parents pray for the health of children, and families ask for endurance, hope, and peace when illness becomes heavy.

People also pray to him for healing of inner wounds: anxiety, despondency, depression, fear, and the exhaustion that can come with long suffering. Doctors, surgeons, nurses, and medical workers ask his intercession for wisdom, steady hands, correct diagnosis, patience, and compassion.

In Russian Orthodox tradition, Saint Panteleimon is also asked for protection of soldiers, because his first name, Pantoleon, means lion in all things. The icon may therefore be meaningful for military families as well as for medical workers.

An icon is not a substitute for treatment and is not a charm. Prayer before Saint Panteleimon is prayer to God through the intercession of the holy healer, joined with responsible medical care, gratitude, and trust in God’s mercy.

Mstyora Icon-Painting Technique

The icon is made on a thick solid linden board, naturally dried and strengthened with oak support splines on the back. The front is covered with cloth and many layers of chalk gesso, each dried and polished before the next stage.

After the gesso is prepared, the master cuts the ornament and decorative arch by hand. The surface is then gilded with thin sheets of gold leaf. The face, hands, and garments are painted in mineral egg tempera made from natural pigments.

At the final stage, the icon is protected with natural olifa or a modern protective finish. This helps preserve the painting, gold, and ornament from dust and accidental damage when the icon is cared for properly.

Placement and Gift Use

The icon of Saint Panteleimon can be placed in a home icon corner or near the room of a sick person, where prayer for healing is offered. It is also appropriate in a child’s room, a doctor’s office, a hospital chapel, or a church space dedicated to prayer for health.

This icon is a meaningful gift for someone who is ill, a doctor, surgeon, nurse, medical student, soldier, or family praying for healing. Its rich hand-tooled gold background gives it the character of a solemn and lasting gift.

Icon Characteristics

Icon name	St. Panteleimon Orthodox Icon
Saint	Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
Iconographic type	Waist-length healer with medicine box and measuring spoon
Painting style	Academic, painterly realism
Board	Flat linden board without kovcheg, oak support splines, cloth, chalk gesso
Painting materials	Mineral egg tempera, enamel-style painting imitating pearls and gemstones
Gold and decoration	23K gold leaf (960 purity), gold assist, full carpet-style hand tooling, decorative arched frame
Available sizes	17×21 cm (6.7×8.3 in), 20×24 cm (7.9×9.4 in), 27×31 cm (10.6×12.2 in), 30×40 cm (11.8×15.7 in); iconostasis sizes by agreement

Choosing the Size

Available sizes are 17×21 cm (6.7×8.3 in), 20×24 cm (7.9×9.4 in), 27×31 cm (10.6×12.2 in), and 30×40 cm (11.8×15.7 in). Larger iconostasis sizes can be discussed individually.

The smaller sizes are suitable for a bedside prayer place, a small home icon corner, or a personal gift. The 27×31 cm and 30×40 cm formats allow the gold tooling, decorative arch, garment details, and academic painting of the face to be seen more fully.

Free international shipping is included, and payment is made after you receive and approve the icon.

Questions and Answers

What is the decorative arch on this icon?

The arch is a hand-tooled ornamental frame made in the gold background. It visually separates the figure of Saint Panteleimon and gives a flat board a more architectural, solemn depth.

What does Saint Panteleimon hold in his hands?

He holds an open medicine box with healing remedies and a long measuring spoon. These are traditional attributes of the holy unmercenary physician.

Is real gold used for the background?

Yes. The background, halo, and gold assist are made with 23K gold leaf (960 purity), a traditional material used in Orthodox icon painting.

How is the relief ornament made?

The ornament is cut by hand into the prepared gesso with special tools, then gilded with gold leaf. This creates the deep carpet-style relief pattern.

What is special about the academic painting style?

The academic style uses soft light and shadow, natural facial modeling, and warm flesh tones. It makes the young saint’s mercy and compassion especially visible.

What are the jewels and pearls on the garments made from?

They are painted enamel-style decoration, not separate gemstones. The effect imitates pearls, sapphires, and rubies on the collar and cuffs.

Can Saint Panteleimon be prayed to for mental illness?

Yes. Orthodox Christians pray to Saint Panteleimon for both bodily and spiritual suffering, including anxiety, despondency, depression, and other inner wounds.

Can this icon be given to a healthy person?

Yes. It is also a meaningful gift for doctors, medical workers, soldiers, medical students, families, and anyone who venerates Saint Panteleimon.

Is a kiot recommended for this icon?

Yes. A kiot is recommended because the gold background and deep relief ornament should be protected from dust, soot, humidity changes, and accidental contact.

Is the icon blessed when purchased?

A hand-painted Orthodox icon may be blessed in church before it is given, or after it is received in your parish.