Mount Athos weathered lithography (icon) of Saint Charitina the Martyr in pine wood with carved decoration.

Saint Charitina lived and martyred in the years of the emperor Diocletian and the ruler Dometius in 304 AD, when the great persecution of the Church and the Christians had begun. Charitina was a slave to Claudius who loved her very much and respected her as a woman. As soon as Dometius was informed of the existence of Christian Charitina, he asked her master to send her for interrogation.

The Saint was led in front of the ruler and confessed her faith in Christ and as a result she was severely tortured. Then, Dometius ordered to close her in a brothel but Charitina prayed to God to take her soul not to be ashamed. The Orthodox Christian Church celebrates her memory on October 5 of each year. Fragments of the Holy Relic of the Saint are found in the Monasteries of Kykkos in Cyprus and Jerusalem in Boeotia.

Apolytikion of Saint Charitina the Martyr

Fourth Tone

O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept me offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.