St John the Theologian

We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow... Children, you must stay away from idols.

the Pyrovolitheisa from Vatopedi

When, in 1822, the Holy Mountain was occupied by a Turkish garrison, a soldier dared to shoot at the icon of the Theotokos on the outside of the Monastery, above the entrance. The bullet damaged the right hand of the Theotokos, and the sacrilegious culprit, who was a nephew of the commander of the squad, went mad and hanged himself from an olive tree in the garden opposite the entrance to the Monastery. Now the Monastery was in grave danger of reprisals and looting, but a fellow-soldier of the suicide realised what was going on and told his uncle. The commander admitted that this was indeed a case of divine retribution and ordered that his nephew's body should be denied burial.

John the Baptist 6th century

46 x 25 cm. Encaustic. Kiev.
The badly damaged John is flanked by Christ and Mary in clipea, and he holds a scroll, Old Testament style, with John 1:29. His visage is gaunt, but his gaze clear, befitting an ascetic prophet. An early form of Deesis, John looks and points at the Christ clipeus.