Small, printed icons were widely popular among all layers of Russian society. This item was produced in the late 19th to early 20th century at large printing factories. This is a lithograph depicting Saint Stephen of Perm. The icon was published by the partnership “I.N. Kushnerov and Co.” in Moscow.
Saint Stephen of Perm was a bishop, saint, and prominent spiritual figure of Ancient Rus, a missionary to the pagans, and a companion of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. He lived in the 14th century. His biographer was Epiphanius the Wise.
He was born in the city of Ustyug. Accompanying his father (a village acolyte) to the church, he learned church singing and the church order. In his early childhood, the holy fool Procopius of Ustyug predicted to Stephen that he would be the enlightener of the Perm people. Influenced by this prophecy, he moved to Rostov and entered the monastery of Saint Gregory the Theologian to prepare for missionary service. This was the time of the enlightening work of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who soon became a friend of Stephen.
The idea of the young ascetic to serve through missionary work for Perm was approved by everyone. To make use of the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Church Fathers, Stephen studied the Greek language; however, he soon realized that the success of preaching among the Zyryans would not be guaranteed if he did not know the Zyryan language. He quickly mastered this language to the extent that he began translating the services of the Orthodox Church into it.
After visiting Ustyug, Stephen was convinced of the Zyryans’ ability to grasp new concepts and rules of life in their own language. He found helpers, and soon the entire region was filled with the word of the teaching that was new to them.
Stephen went to Moscow, where he was ordained as a presbyter. The Grand Duke granted him a letter of protection.
Along the Northern Dvina and Vychegda rivers, Stephen reached the settlement of Pyras (modern-day Kotlas) and began to preach the Christian doctrine. He was met with extreme hostility: they wrapped him in straw to burn him. But no one dared to approach him with a lit torch. His gentle demeanor and fearlessness disarmed the savages, and they themselves began to ask him to preach to them.
