December 4, 2023 / 12:01 AM
Every December 4 we remember Saint Barbara, a young convert who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries. She was born in Nicomedia, a former province of the Roman Empire, located in modern-day Türkiye.
Saint Barbara, according to an ancient tradition, was placed in captivity by her own father, a satrap (pagan king) named Dioscorus, with the purpose of separating her from the influence of the Christian message. The king also had teachers of philosophy and poetry visit her cell periodically to ensure that she rejected Christ.
Not only was Barbara not persuaded of this, but she disobeyed the order to marry and declared herself a Christian, something that the ruler considered the worst of affronts. Then, full of fury, he ordered that the young woman be martyred. The saint was tied to the rack and flogged.