Greatmartyr Barbara

The Icon

Feast Day - December 4th

Barbara was born in Galassos in 290 AD to wealthy parents who were very proud of her for her beauty and virtue. They erected a fortress where she lived, supplied with all her needs until she became of age when many military officers asked for her hand in marriage. Her father consulted Barbara as to her wishes and she said she had no wish to marry. While her father was away on a business trip, he had a bathhouse constructed with two windows. Barbara told the workers to put in a third window and with her nail, she chiseled the sign of the cross into the marble. When her father returned, he asked the significance of the third window. Barbara stated that Three Lights guide everyone who walks the earth: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Enraged that his daughter had become a Christian, he threatened to kill her. Barbara fled to a nearby mountain but was eventually found and imprisoned with another Christian, Julia. The two were tortured and martyred. Afterward, their buried bodies were found by a Christian named Valentios who dreamed of two virgins and was instructed where to dig to find them. Saints Barbara and Julia later were entombed with honor in the village of Galassos.

Troparion in tone 8

Let us honor the holy martyr Barbara,
For as a bird she escaped the snares of the enemy,
And destroyed them through the help and defense of the Cross!

Kontakion in tone 4

O honorable and victorious Barbara,
You believe in God the Holy Trinity:
You renounced the multitude of heathen idols,
And fought for your faith with great courage.
You were not frightened by the threats of your persecutor,
But cried out in a loud voice:
I adore one God in three persons!

For information concerning the life of Greatmartyr Barbara please click here