medals

St. Zachary Sterling Silver Saint Zachary Medal Saint Zachary September 5th Troparion (Tone 4) Arrayed in priestly vestments, thou didst offer sacrifice according to God's law. Thou wast a light and a seer of mysteries bearing the signs of grace within thee. Thou wast slain in the temple of God, O Zachary, Prophet of Christ. Together with the Forerunner pray that our souls may be saved. St. Zachary and his wife Elizabeth were advanced in years and had never had children. It was Zachary's turn to serve as High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem and some mocked him and questioned his authority to serve in this capacity, since he had no sons. The Archangel Gabriel appeared separately to Elizabeth and to Zachary to let them know that she would bear John who would be the Forerunner of the Messiah. From that point Zachary was struck dumb, until it came time to name the child. He wrote on a paper "His name is John." Then his voice was restored. This was according to the prophecy which Gabriel had given him. When the wicked Herod set out to kill the Christ, he heard of the special circumstances surrounding John's birth and tried to hunt him down as well. Elizabeth took John, who was 18 months old, into the wilderness. They came to a mountain, and she spoke to it and a cave opened in it with a fresh stream and a fruitful date palm sprang up at its mouth. She escaped Herod's men by hiding in the cave. Zachary was killed in the Temple (Matthew 25:35). His spilled blood turned to stone as a testimony against Herod. Forty days later Elizabeth died in the wilderness. An angel took care of St. John as he grew up. This icon is by the hand of  of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.