Mary of Egypt was a harlot living in Alexandria around the 5th Century A.D. While in Jerusalem she converted, crossed the River Jordan and began her journey into the wilderness where she lived a solitary life of penitence. Other saints are associated with her, including Mark, Nicholas and Zosimas. At the center of this delightful icon, she is pictured approaching the River Jordan, having just seen a vision of God the Father offering His blessings. Other scenes surrounding the central image present the same location, since it marked a pivotal point in her life; symbolic of her crossing from earthly pleasures into the life of the spirit. In Orthodox hagiography, St. Zosimas is believed to have come across her naked in the woods and offered her his cloak. These simple and poignant scenes represent a fundamental principal in Christian faith--renouncing sin for purity of the soul, exchanging worldly goods for a life of poverty and prayer.
- (PF.4850)
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