Icon made on natural linden wood with water-gilding technique. After the thermal treatment, the wood was gilded with 22K gold leaf, in accordance with traditional Byzantine techniques. The icon has been painted with egg tempera for a higher quality and durability of the colors.
Saint Xenia is depicted in humble and modest attire. According to her hagiography, after the death of her husband, she distributed all her possessions to the poor. She spent the remainder of her life ascetically, wandering the streets of Saint Petersburg. She fell asleep in 1801 at the age of 71 and was buried in the Smolensk Cemetery. She is depicted frontally in a posture of prayer. Her expression conveys profound repentance, mourning, and self-sacrifice in the name of Jesus Christ.
