Barbara
Life and witness
At Nicomedia, the passion of St. Barbara, virgin and martyr, who in the persecution of Maximums, after sore pining in prison, burning with lamps, cutting off of her breasts, and other torments, finished her martyrdom by the sword.
Biographical overview
Saint Barbara (Ancient Greek: Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; Coptic: Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; Church Slavonic: Великомученица Варва́ра Илиопольская; Arabic: القديسة الشهيدة بربارة), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Syrian Greek saint and martyr. Saint Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower to symbolize her father imprisoning her. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Barbara is a popular saint, perhaps best known as the patroness saint of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning. She is also a patroness saint of mathematicians. A 15th-century French version of her story credits her with thirteen miracles, many of which reflect the security she offered that her devotees would not die before getting to make confession and receiving extreme unction. Legends detailing her life do not appear until the 7th century. Veneration of her was common, especially in the East, from the 9th century. Because of doubts about the historicity of her legend, she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, though not from the Catholic Church's list of saints.
Martyrologium Romanum · Latin witness
Nicomediae passio sanctae Barbarae, Virginis et Martyris; quae, in persecutione Maximini, post diram carceris macerationem, lampadarum adustionem, mamillarum praecisionem atque alia tormenta, gladio martyrium consummavit.