19th C, Russian Icon depicting the Venerable Mary of Egypt. Tempera and oil on wood. Mary was an Egyptian prostitute in Alexandria. She journeyed to Jerusalem and tried to enter a church but some mysterious power hindered her. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, confessed her sins and was then able to enter. When she left, a voice told her that if she went across the Jordan River she would find peace. She did so and lived for forty-eight years in the bleak wilderness. In her later years she was discovered by the elder monk Zosima, who gave her communion after he saw her walk on water across the Jordan River. When he returned the wilderness the following year in 522 AD he found that she had died. Mary of Egypt, shown here in a rather lush-looking wilderness to the right, is commemorated on April 1st. The charred mark in the lower half of this icon is the result of veneration. Oil lamps and candles were often burned before icons. Flames often damaged icons when accidentally placed too close. Size: 12.25 x 10.5 in.