Saint Barbara

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Saint Barbara<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"> St. Barbara and her burning tower</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:gold;">Virgin & martyr</td></tr>
Born	unknown
Died	3rd Century<tr><td>Venerated in</td> <td>Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Western Orthodox</td></tr>
Feast	December 4<tr><td>Attributes</td> <td>Tower, palm, chalice</td></tr><tr><td>Patronage</td> <td>Artillery gunners, masons, mathematicians, miners, military engineers, stonecutters, anyone who works at risk of sudden and violent death</td></tr>
Image:Gloriole.svg Saints Portal

Saint Barbara, known as the Great Martyress in Orthodox churches, was a Christian saint and martyr, who lived in the 3rd century AD.

1 Her story
2 Her memory
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Her story

The legend of Saint Barbara says that she was born about 300 A.D. in Nicomedia in Asia Minor. Her father, Dioscurus was the head of a wealthy aristocratic family. Her parents adored her for her beauty, intelligence and modesty. Dioscurus, who was cruel and a pagan, had her shut in a tower in order to preserve her from suitors. Influenced by the deacon Valentinus, who later became a bishop and martyr, she nevertheless secretly converted to Christianity. Her father commanded that she be built a bath-house, so that she would not have to use the public baths. The design for the bath-house originally had two windows, but Barbara had a third installed to commemorate the Trinity. She also carved a cross into the marble floor. Her father, seeing these changes, discovered that she was a Christian. Dioscurus went to his daughter, and when she tried to convert him to Christianity he became furious and wanted to kill her. However, her prayers created an opening in the tower wall and she escaped. Pursued by her father and guards, she hid in a gorge in the mountains. She stayed hidden here until a shepherd betrayed her. As legend has it, the shepherd was transformed into a marble statue and his herd into grasshoppers. Despite being tortured, Barbara held true to her faith. During the night, the dark prison was bathed in light and new miracles occurred. Every morning her wounds were healed. Torches that were to be used to burn her went out as soon as they came near her. But she did not waver from her faith. Her father had her taken to a Roman imperial magistrate during a persecution of Christians, who ordered her to be beheaded, and directed that her father carry out the sentence himself. He dragged her up to a mountain and beheaded her. However, after having done so, he became frightened and tried to run away but, according to the story, was struck dead by lightning in divine retribution. This was the fourth miraculous occurrence during Barbara’s long and painful martyrdom, and according to the legend and the Julian calendar Barbara died a martyr’s death on the fourth of December in the year 306 A.D. Juliana of Nicomedia suffered the death of a martyr along with Barbara and was likewise sainted.

[edit] Her memory

St. Barbara was formerly one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Her association with lightning caused her to be invoked against lightning and fire; by association, she also became the patron of artillery and mining. Her feast was formerly celebrated on December 4; in the 1969 reform of the Roman Catholic liturgy her public cultus was suppressed to a purely local celebration, and her name was dropped from the litany of saints.

In the 12th century, the relics of St. Barbara were brought from Constantinople to the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kiev, where they were kept until the 1930s, when they were transferred to St. Vladimir's Cathedral in the same city. Her veneration in the Eastern Orthodox Church remains very popular and her feast day is celebrated on December 4.

In the Spanish language, the word santabárbara means the magazine of a ship or fortress. It was customary to have a statue of Saint Barbara at the magazine to protect the ship or fortress from suddenly exploding. She is the namesake of the U.S. city of Santa Barbara, California, located north of Los Angeles. There were many churches dedicated in her name in Russia, including the one in Moscow next to Saint Basil's Cathedral and in Yaroslavl.

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[edit] Trivia

She is depicted in art as standing by a tower with three windows, carrying a palm branch and a chalice; sometimes cannons are depicted by her side.

Because of her identification with lightning and cannonry, in Santería she is identified with the god Shango, god of lightning and war.

The Order of Saint Barbara is a military honor society of the US for both the US Army and the US Marine Corps field artillery.

Saint Barbara is referenced in the song "Don't Let Me Explode" by the rock band The Hold Steady. Before performing the song at 2006's Lollapalooza music festival, lead singer Craig Finn told the story of Saint Barbara to the crowd of several thousand fans.