Balkan icon Saint Marina Balkan area, Bulgaria(?), 19th century Tempera on panel 32 x 22.5 cm This extremely rare icon depicts one of the most unique stories of holiness in the early church. Marina lived her short life in a men's monastery in Lebanon in disguise, under the name of Marino, and it was only when she died that the brothers realized she was a woman. Venerated as a saint by the Catholic, Orthodox and Coptic churches, her remains have been preserved since the thirteenth century in Venice, of which she is co-patron, in S. Maria Formosa. Here she is depicted in the act of striking the devil with a hammer. Profoundly influenced by the painting of the masters of Mount Athos, a high school of religious painting and a place where the Byzantine style and tradition are preserved, this panel fits well into the production of icons of Greek origin but painted in the Balkans where, although the conditions were unfavorable due to the Ottoman occupation, the artists managed to keep alive the spirit and culture of the Orthodox faith. In this case, we can speak of a master who "writes" the icon in a popular language, but who manages to maintain a strong link with the Greek tradition; this type of icon is quite common in Bulgarian territory. Balkan icon Saint Marina Balkan area, Bulgaria (?), 19th century Tempera on panel 32 x 22,5 cm