St. Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373) is a Doctor of the Church and one of the great intellectuals of Christendom. He lived at a time when Christianity, after three centuries of persecution, was becoming dominant. Questions arose as to the nature of the Christ. Was he God? Was he man? In what way could he both? The early Councils of the Church answered these questions, which are still held by the Church and most Protestant sects.

Athanasius lived during the heresy of Arianism. He wrote forcefully against it. It was a work made harder because of the Arian sympathies of the Emperor Constantine, who exiled Athanasius to the hinterlands to keep him out of the debate. Athanasius was exiled 5 times during his life. But he persevered. The Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople were all but unanimous against the Arians. They wrote the Nicene Creed, which emphasizes the divinity of Christ and which we still say today in Mass. It has not and will not change. His Feast Day is May 3. (source: franciscanmedia.org)

In this beautiful image, based on a vintage holy card, Athanasius is the man on the left. On his right is St. Cyril of Alexandria. They are often shown together because they were the two great defenders of Orthodoxy in the early centuries of the Church.

!!!IMPORTANT !!! THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank white margin around the paper, 1/2" for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", and 1.6" for 11x14". This border lets our pictures look good framed without a matt.

-Acid-free paper.
-Archival pigments to last for generations without fading.
-Cardboard backer.
-Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag
-Comes with the above story of the image.

Thanks!
Sue & John

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Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.