Hand painted Orthodox icon on wood, "Apostle Peter", miniature, 7x10cm

This hand-painted Orthodox miniature icon represents the Apostle Peter, the leader of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Saint Peter the Apostle is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on June 29.

Original artwork by Ana Drăgan (DAM), painted on wood in tempera colours.

The holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostle Peter is the leader of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. His feast is celebrated on June 29 along with the Apostle Paul.

Saint Peter the Apostle was from Bethsaida in Galilee, the son of Jonah and the brother of Saint Andrew the First-Called. A fisherman by trade, he was a simple and humble man, originally named Simon. The Lord Jesus Christ gave him the name Peter and called him to be one of His Apostles and closest disciples.

Although Peter denied Christ three times during His Passion, he repented bitterly and received the Lord’s forgiveness. After Christ’s Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit, he boldly preached the Gospel in Judea, Antioch, and parts of Asia, eventually reaching Rome.

There, during the persecution under Emperor Nero, Saint Peter was martyred by crucifixion, being crucified upside down at his own request, around the year 66–68. He left two Catholic Epistles to the Church, known as First and Second Peter, and is traditionally regarded as one of the principal sources for the apostolic testimony recorded in the Gospel according to Mark.

- orthodoxwiki.org