Saint Mary of Egypt (Koufos) Icon - S176

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they arrived at the Church of the Resurrection, Mary tried to enter, but an invisible force prevented her. She came to her senses and was driven to prayer and repentance. She went to wander in the desert, where she repented and denied herself every kind of pleasure for many years. Before the end of her life, she gave her testimony to the monk Saint Zosimas.

She is commemorated on April 1, and in the Orthodox Church, the Fifth Sunday of Lent is also dedicated to her. The story of her life is read each year on the Thursday of the Great Canon.

This icon was painted by Fr. Theodore Koufos.