St. Paul the Apostle

In the icon, he holds a sword signifying the means wherewith he was martyred as well as a reference to his words: "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17). He also carries the scrolls, symbolizing his fourteen epistles. In the background is the Parthenon in Athens testifying to his overriding missionary work to the Gentiles.