One man of a noble family, rich and famous, named Dioscorus, was a pagan by origin and religion. He had a daughter, Varvara, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye, for besides her he had no other children. When she began to grow up, she became very beautiful in face, so that in all that area there was no girl similar in beauty to her, which is why Dioscorus built a high and skillfully constructed tower for her, and built magnificent chambers in the tower. He imprisoned his daughter in them, assigning reliable teachers and maids to her, for her mother had already died. He did this so that such beauty could not be seen by simple and ignorant people, for he believed that their eyes were unworthy to see the beautiful face of his daughter. Living in a tower, in high chambers, the young woman found consolation in the fact that from this height she looked at the creatures of God above and below - at the heavenly bodies and at the beauty of the earthly world. One day, looking up at the sky and observing the radiance of the sun, the course of the moon and the beauty of the stars, she asked the teachers and maids who lived with her:

Who created this?

Also, looking at the beauty of the earth, at the fields, groves and gardens covered with greenery, at the mountains and waters, she asked:

By whose hand was all this created?

They told her:

The gods created all this.

The girl asked:

What gods?

The maids answered her:

Those gods that your father honors and has in his palace - gold, silver and wood - and which he worships - they created everything that is before your eyes.

Hearing their words, the girl doubted and reasoned with herself:

The gods that my father reveres are made by human hands: the gold and silver ones were made by a goldsmith, the stone ones by a stonecutter, the wooden ones by a woodcarver. How could these made gods create such a bright high sky and such earthly beauty when they themselves can neither walk with their feet nor do things with their hands?

Thinking in this way, she often looked at the sky day and night, trying to recognize the Creator by the creation. One day, when she looked at the sky for a long time and was embraced strong desire to find out who created such a beautiful height, breadth and brightness of the sky, suddenly the light of Divine grace shone in her heart and opened her mental eyes to the knowledge of the One Invisible, Unknown and Incomprehensible God, who wisely created heaven and earth. She told herself:

There must be one God, Whom was not created by human hand, but He Himself, who has His own existence, created everything with His hand. There must be one One who stretched out the breadth of the sky, established the foundation of the earth and enlightens from above the entire universe with the rays of the sun, the radiance of the moon and the sparkle of the stars, and below decorates the earth with various trees and flowers and waters it with rivers and springs. There must be one God, who contains everything, gives life to everything and provides for everyone.

Thus, the youth Varvara learned from creation to know the Creator, and the words of David came true on her: “I meditate on all Your works, I consider the works of Your hands”(Ps. 143:5). In such reflections, the fire of divine love flared up in Varvara’s heart and inflamed her soul with a fiery desire for God, so that she had no peace day or night, thinking about only one thing, wanting only one thing, to know exactly about God and the Creator of everything. Among the people, she could not find a mentor for herself who would reveal to her the secrets of the holy faith and guide her on the path of salvation, for no one was allowed to enter her except the assigned maids, because her father Dioscorus surrounded her with a vigilant guard. But the Most Wise Teacher and Mentor Himself, the Holy Spirit, through inner inspiration invisibly taught her the mysteries of His grace and imparted to her mind the knowledge of the truth. And the girl lived in her tower, like a lonely bird on the roof, thinking about heavenly, and not earthly, for her heart did not cleave to anything earthly, she did not love gold or expensive pearls and precious stones, neither elegant clothes, nor any girlish jewelry, she never thought about marriage, but her whole thought was turned to the One God, and she was captivated by love for Him.

When the time came for the young woman to marry, many rich, noble and noble young men, hearing about the wondrous beauty of Barbara, asked Dioscorus for her hand. Having ascended the tower to Barbara, Dioscorus began to talk to her about marriage and, pointing out various good suitors to her, asked which of them she would like to get engaged to. Hearing such words from her father, the chaste girl blushed in the face, ashamed not only to listen, but also to think about marriage. She refused him in every possible way, not bowing to her father’s wishes, because she considered it a great deprivation for herself to let the flower of her purity fade and lose the priceless beads of virginity. In response to her father’s persistent admonitions to obey his will, she objected to him a lot and finally announced:

If, my father, you continue to talk about this and force me to betrothal, then you will no longer be called father, for I will kill myself, and you will lose your only child.

Hearing this, Dioscorus was horrified and left her, no longer daring to force her into marriage. He believed that it would be better to betroth her of her own free will, and not by force, and hoped that the time would come when she herself would come to her senses and want to get married. After this, he planned to go on a long journey on business, believing that Varvara would be bored without him, and when he returned, it would be easier for him to convince her to obey his commands and advice. Setting out on his journey, Dioscorus ordered the construction of a luxurious bathhouse located in the garden, and two windows facing south in the bathhouse. He ordered the persons assigned to his daughter not to prevent her from freely leaving the tower wherever she wanted and doing whatever she pleased. Dioscorus thought that his daughter, talking with many people and seeing that many of the girls were engaged and married, would also want to get married.

When Dioscorus set off on his journey, Varvara, taking advantage of the freedom to leave the house and talk freely with whomever she wanted, made friends with some Christian girls and from them heard the Name of Jesus Christ. She rejoiced in spirit about that Name and tried to learn more accurately from them about Him. Her new friends told her everything about Christ: about His ineffable Divinity, about His incarnation from the Most Pure Virgin Mary, about His free suffering and resurrection, also about the future judgment, about the eternal torment of idolaters and the endless bliss of believing Christians in the Kingdom of Heaven. Hearing about all this, Varvara felt sweetness in her heart, burned with love for Christ and wanted to be baptized. It happened at that time that one presbyter came to Iliopol under the guise of a merchant. Having learned about him, Varvara invited him to her place and secretly learned from him the knowledge of the One Creator of all and the Almighty God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which she had long since ardently desired. The presbyter, having expounded to her all the secrets of the holy faith, baptized her in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and, having instructed her, retired to his country. Enlightened by baptism, Saint Barbara was inflamed with even greater love for God, and labored in fasting and prayer day and night, serving her Lord;

Meanwhile, according to the orders of Dioscorus, the construction of a bathhouse was carried out. One day Saint Barbara came down from her tower to look at the building, and seeing two windows in the bathhouse, she asked the workers.

Why did you only have two windows? Wouldn't it be better to make three windows? Then the wall will be more beautiful and the bathhouse will be brighter.

The workers responded:

So your father ordered us to build two windows to the south.

But Varvara insistently demanded that they build three windows (in the image of the Holy Trinity). And when they did not want to do this, fearing her father, she told them:

I will intercede for you before your father and answer for you, and you do what I order you.

Then the workers, at her request, made a third window in the bathhouse. There was, as said, a bathhouse there, at which the bathhouse was built. This bath was lined with hewn marble stones. Saint Barbara, having once come to this bath and looking to the east, drew with her finger on the marble an image of the holy cross, which was so clearly imprinted on the stone, as if it had been carved out with iron. In addition, at the same bathhouse, also on a stone, the footprint of her virgin foot was imprinted; water began to flow from this footprint, and subsequently there were many healings here for those who came with faith.

Walking one day through her father’s chambers, Saint Barbara saw his gods, soulless idols standing in a place of honor, and sighed deeply about the destruction of the souls of those people who serve idols. Then she spat on the faces of the idols, saying:

May all those who worship you and expect help from you, soulless ones, be like you!

Having said this, she ascended her tower. There, as usual, she devoted herself to prayer and fasting, delving into the thought of God with all her mind.

Meanwhile, her father returned from his trip. Inspecting the household buildings, he approached the newly built bathhouse and, seeing three windows in the wall, began to angrily scold the servants and workers, why they disobeyed his orders and made not two, but three windows. They answered:

It was not our will, but your daughter Varvara’s, she ordered us to install three windows, although we did not want it.

Dioscorus immediately called Barbara and asked her:

Why did you order a third window to be installed in the bathhouse? - She answered:

Three are better than two, for you, my father, ordered two windows to be made in accordance, as I think, with the two heavenly bodies, the sun and the moon, so that they illuminate the bathhouse, and I ordered the third to be made, in the image of the Trinity Light, for the unapproachable, ineffable, impenetrable and unflickering Light of the Trinity, the Three Windows, by which every person coming into the world is enlightened.

The father was embarrassed by the new, truly wondrous, but incomprehensible to him, words of his daughter. Having led her to the place of the bath, where a cross was depicted on a stone by the finger of Saint Barbara, which he had not yet examined, Dioscorus began to ask her:

What are you talking about? How does the light of three windows enlighten every person?

The saint answered:

Listen carefully, my father, and understand what I say: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Three Persons of the One God in the Trinity, living in the unapproachable light, enlighten and enliven every breath. For this reason, I ordered three windows to be built in the bathhouse, so that one of them would depict the Father, the other the Son, the third the Holy Spirit, so that the very walls would glorify the Name of the Holy Trinity.

Then pointing her hand to the cross depicted on the marble, she said:

I also depicted the sign of the Son of God: by the grace of the Father and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of people, He became incarnate from the Most Pure Virgin and willingly suffered on the cross, the image of which you see. I drew the sign of the cross here so that the power of the cross would drive away all the demonic power from here.

This and much more was said by the wise virgin to her hard-hearted father about the Holy Trinity, about the incarnation and suffering of Christ, about the power of the cross and other mysteries of the holy faith, which infuriated him.

Dioscorus was inflamed with anger and, forgetting his natural love for his daughter, drew his sword and wanted to pierce her, but she fled. With a sword in his hands, Dioscorus chased after her like a wolf after a sheep. He was already overtaking the immaculate lamb of Christ, while her path was suddenly blocked by a stone mountain. The saint did not know where to escape from the hand and sword of her father, or better yet, her tormentor; she had only one refuge - God, from whom she asked for help and protection, raising her spiritual and physical eyes to Him. The Almighty soon heard His servant and preceded her with His help, commanding the stone mountain to sit in two in front of her, as once before the First Martyr Thekla, when she fled from the libertines. The holy virgin Barbara disappeared into the chasm that had formed, and immediately the rock closed behind her, giving the saint clear path to the top of the mountain. Having gone up there, she hid there in a cave. The cruel and stubborn Dioscorus, not seeing his daughter running in front of him, was surprised. Wondering how she disappeared from his eyes, he searched for her diligently for a long time. Walking around the mountain and looking for Varvara, he saw two shepherds on the mountain, tending flocks of sheep. These shepherds saw Saint Barbara climb the mountain and hide in a cave. Approaching them, Dioscorus asked if they had seen his daughter running away. One of the shepherds, a compassionate man, seeing that Dioscorus was filled with anger, did not want to hand over the innocent girl and said:

I haven't seen her.

But the other, silently, pointed with his hand to the place where the saint was hiding. Dioscorus rushed there, and the shepherd who betrayed the saint suffered the execution of God in the same place: he himself turned into a stone pillar, and his sheep into locusts.

Having found his daughter in the cave, Dioscorus began to beat her mercilessly, throwing her to the ground, he trampled her under his feet and, grabbing her by the hair, dragged her to his house. Then he imprisoned her in a cramped, dark hut, locked the doors and windows, applied a seal, set a guard, and starved the prisoner with hunger and thirst. After that, Dioscorus went to the ruler of that country, Martian, and told him everything about his daughter and told him that she rejected their gods and believed in the Crucified One.

Dioscorus asked the governor to, with the threat of various torments, persuade her to her father’s faith. Then he brought the saint out of prison, brought her to the ruler and gave her into his hands, saying:

I renounce her because she rejects my gods, and if she does not turn to us again and worship them with me, then she will not be my daughter, and I will not be her father: torment her, sovereign ruler, as you please to your will.

Seeing the girl in front of him, the ruler was surprised at her extraordinary beauty and began to speak to her meekly and affectionately, praising her beauty and nobility. He admonished her not to deviate from the ancient laws of her father and not to resist her father’s will, but to worship the gods and obey her parent in everything, so as not to lose the right to inherit all his property. But Saint Barbara, having exposed the futility with her wise speech pagan gods, confessed and glorified the Name of Jesus Christ and renounced all earthly vanity, wealth and worldly pleasures, striving for heavenly blessings. The ruler still continued to convince her not to dishonor her family and not to ruin her beautiful and blooming youth. Finally he told her:

Have pity on yourself, beautiful maiden, and hasten with zeal to offer a sacrifice to the gods with us, for I am merciful to you and want to spare you, not wanting to betray such beauty to torment and wounds, but if you do not listen to me and do not submit, then you will force me, at least against my will, to torture you cruelly.

Saint Barbara answered:

I always offer a sacrifice of praise to my God and I want to be a sacrifice to Him myself, for He alone is the True God, the Creator of heaven and earth and everything that is on them, and your gods are nothing and have not created anything, as soulless and inactive, they themselves - the work of human hands, as the prophet of God says: “And their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord created the heavens.”(Ps. 113:12; Ps. 95:5). I recognize these prophetic words and believe in the One God, the Creator of everything, and about your gods I confess that they are false and that your hope in them is in vain.

Angered by such words of Saint Barbara, the ruler immediately ordered her to be naked. This first torment - to stand naked before the eyes of many husbands, without shame and stubbornly looking at the naked virgin body - was for a chaste and pure virgin a suffering more severe than the wounds themselves. Then the torturer ordered to put her on the ground and beat her hard with ox sinews for a long time, and the ground was stained with her blood. Having stopped, by order of the ruler, the scourging, the tormentors began, intensifying her suffering, to rub the wounds of the holy virgin with hair shirt and sharp shards. However, all these torments, rushing stronger than the storm and the wind at the temple of the young and weak girl’s body, did not shake the martyr Barbara, strong in faith, for faith was based on the stone - Christ the Lord, for whose sake she joyfully endured such severe suffering.

After that, the ruler ordered her to be imprisoned until he came up with the most cruel tortures for her. Barely alive from severe torture, Saint Barbara prayed with tears in prison to her beloved Bridegroom, Christ God, that He would not leave her in such grave suffering, and spoke in the words of David: “Do not forsake me, Lord my God! Don't move away from me. Hasten to help me, O Lord, my savior!”(Ps. 37:22–23). As she prayed thus, at midnight a great light illuminated her; The saint felt fear and at the same time joy in her heart: her Imperishable Bridegroom was approaching her, wanting to visit His bride. And so the King of Glory Himself appeared to her in indescribable glory. Oh, how she rejoiced in spirit and what sweetness she felt in her heart when she saw Him! The Lord, looking at her with love, said to her with His sweetest lips:

Be bold, My bride, and do not be afraid, for I am with you, I protect you, I look at your feat and ease your illnesses. For your sufferings, I am preparing for you an eternal reward in My heavenly palace, so endure to the end in order to soon enjoy eternal blessings in My Kingdom!

Listening to the words of the Lord Christ, Saint Barbara, like wax from the fire, melted with the desire to unite with God and, like a river during a flood, was filled with love for Him. Having comforted His beloved bride Barbara and delighting her with His love, the Sweetest Jesus healed her and wounds, so that not a trace of them remained on her body. After that He became invisible, leaving her in indescribable spiritual joy. And Saint Barbara remained in prison, as if in heaven, burning, like the seraphim, with love for God, glorifying Him with her heart and lips and giving thanks to the Lord for the fact that He did not despise, but visited His servant who suffered for the sake of His Name.

There lived in that city a certain woman named Juliana, who believed in Christ and feared God. From the time when Saint Barbara was captured by her tormentors, Juliana watched her from afar and looked at her suffering, and when the saint was thrown into prison, she leaned against the prison window, amazed that such a young maiden, in the very prime of her youth and beauty, she despised her father, her entire family, wealth and all the blessings and joys of the world, and did not spare her life, but eagerly laid it down for Christ. Seeing that Christ healed Saint Barbara from her wounds, she wished to suffer for Him herself, and began to prepare for such a feat, praying to the Heroic Jesus Christ that He would grant her patience in her suffering. When the day came, Saint Barbara was taken out of prison to the wicked trial for new torture; Juliana followed her from afar. When Saint Barbara stood before the ruler, he and those with him saw with amazement that the maiden was completely healthy, bright-faced and even more beautiful than before, and on her body there were no traces of the wounds she had suffered. Seeing this, the ruler said:

Do you see, maiden, how our gods take care of you? Yesterday you were cruelly tormented and exhausted from suffering, but now they have completely healed you and given you health. Be grateful for their good deed - bow to them and make sacrifices.

The saint answered:

What are you saying, ruler, as if your gods, who themselves are blind, dumb and insensitive, healed me? They cannot give sight to the blind, nor speech to the dumb, nor hearing to the deaf, nor the ability to walk to the lame, they cannot heal the sick, nor raise the dead: how could they heal me, and why should they be worshiped? Jesus Christ, my God, who heals all kinds of illnesses and gives life to the dead, healed me. I worship Him with gratitude and sacrifice myself to Him. But your mind is blinded, and you cannot see this Divine Healer and are unworthy of it.

Such a speech by the holy martyr infuriated the ruler: he ordered the martyr to be hanged on a tree, her body to be whittled with iron claws, her ribs to be scorched with burning candles, and her head to be beaten with a hammer. Saint Barbara endured all these sufferings courageously. From such torment it would have been impossible for not only her, a young girl, but even a strong husband to survive, but the lamb of Christ was invisibly strengthened by the power of God.

Juliana also stood in the crowd of people watching the torment of Saint Barbara. Looking at the great suffering of Saint Barbara, Juliana could not help but cry and cried heavily. Filled with jealousy, she raised her voice from the people and began to denounce the merciless ruler of inhuman torment and blaspheme the pagan gods. She was immediately seized and, when asked what her faith was, she announced that she was a Christian. Then the ruler ordered her to be tortured in the same way as Varvara. Juliana was hanged along with Varvara, and she was planed with iron combs. And the holy great martyr Barbara, seeing this and experiencing torment herself, raised her gaze to God and prayed:

God, who searches the hearts of men, You know that I sacrificed all of myself to You and gave myself into the power of Your all-powerful Hand, striving for You and loving Your holy commandments. Do not leave me, Lord, but having mercifully looked upon me and my compassionate Juliana, strengthen us both and give us the strength to accomplish a real feat: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”(Matt. 26:41; Mark 14:38).

Thus the saint prayed, and heavenly help for courageous endurance of suffering was invisibly given to the martyrs. After this, the tormentor ordered to cut off the nipples of both. When this was accomplished and the suffering of the martyrs intensified, Saint Barbara, again raising her eyes to her Doctor and Healer, cried out: “Do not take the Holy One away from us, return to us, O Lord, the joy of Thy salvation, and by the Lord’s Spirit establish us in Thy love!”(Ps. 50:13–14).

After such torment, the governor ordered Saint Juliana to be taken to prison, and Saint Barbara, for great shame, to be led naked through the city, with mockery and beatings. The holy virgin Barbara, covered with shame, as if with a garment, cried out to her beloved Bridegroom, Christ God:

God, who clothes the sky with clouds and the earth with darkness, like swaddling cloths, wrapping them around you, You, the King, cover my nakedness and the suffering of the Great Martyr Barbara, make sure that the eyes of the wicked do not see my body and that Your servant is not completely ridiculed!

The Lord Jesus Christ, looking from above with all His holy angels at the feat of His servant, immediately hurried to her aid and sent to her bright angel with radiant clothing, to cover the nakedness of the holy martyr. After that, the wicked could no longer see the naked body of the martyr, and she was brought back to the tormentor. After her, Saint Juliana was led around the city, also naked. Finally, the tormentor, seeing that he could not turn them away from their love for Christ and incline them to idolatry, condemned both to be beheaded by the sword.

Dioscorus, Varvara’s hard-hearted father, was so hardened by the devil that he not only did not grieve at the sight of his daughter’s great torment, but was not even ashamed to be her executioner. Grabbing his daughter and holding a naked sword in his hand, Dioscorus dragged her to the place of execution, which was appointed on a mountain outside the city, and one of the soldiers led Saint Juliana after them. As they walked, Saint Barbara prayed to God like this:

Beginningless God, who stretched out the sky like a covering and founded the earth on the waters, who commands His sun to shine on the good and the evil and pours out rain on the righteous and the unjust, hear Your servant now praying to You, hear, O King, and give Your grace to every person , who will remember me and my suffering, may no sudden illness approach him and may no unexpected death snatch him away, for You know, Lord, that we are flesh and blood and the creation of Your most pure hands.

While she was praying like this, a voice was heard from heaven, calling her and Juliania to the mountain villages and promising her that her request would be fulfilled. And both martyrs, Varvara and Juliana, went to their deaths with great joy, wanting to quickly be freed from the body and appear before the Lord. Having reached the appointed place, the lamb of Christ, Barbara, bowed her head under the sword and was beheaded by the hands of her merciless father, and what was said in Scripture was fulfilled: “the father will betray the child to death”(Matt. 10:21; Mark 13:12). Saint Juliana was beheaded by a soldier. This is how they accomplished their feat. Their holy souls joyfully went to their Bridegroom Christ, met by the angels and lovingly received by the Master Himself. Dioscorus and the ruler Martian suddenly suffered the execution of God. Immediately after the execution, both were killed by a thunderstorm, and their bodies were burned to ashes by lightning.

In that city there lived a pious man named Galentian. Taking the honorable relics of the holy martyrs, he brought them to the city, buried them with due honor and built a church over them, in which there were many healings from the relics of the holy martyrs, through the prayers and grace of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One in the Trinity of God. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Troparion, tone 8:

Let us honor Saint Barbara: crush the enemy’s nets, and like a bird, get rid of them, with the help and weapon of the Cross, all-honorable one.

Kontakion, tone 4:

In the Trinity, piously sung, having followed God, the passion-bearer, you dulled the idolatry of veneration: in the midst of the struggle of the suffering, Varvaro, you were not afraid of the tormentors of repression, you were wise and wise, singing in a loud voice ever after: I honor the Trinity, one Divinity.

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolis is revered by both Orthodox and Catholics. Her face is depicted on the coats of arms of many cities. The world-famous resort town of Santa Barbara is named in her honor, or so its residents say.

Why is Saint Barbara revered?

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolis was canonized after she accepted a painful death for her faith in Christ. This happened in 306. Since then, the day of remembrance of Varvara Iliopolskaya has been celebrated by Orthodox Christians on the seventeenth of December, and by Catholics on the fourth of December. What is known about this saint? We will talk about this today in this article.

Barbara of Iliopol, great martyr: life (briefly)

Barbara was born in the 3rd century in the town of Iliopolis, during the reign of Emperor Maximian, in the family of a noble and wealthy aristocrat Dioscorus, who professed paganism. To protect his beloved only daughter from Christian influence, he built for her a very high tower, which she was not allowed to leave without her father's permission.

Knowledge of the world

Years passed, and by the age of sixteen the girl had turned into an extraordinary beauty. Numerous rich and noble suitors dreamed of marrying her, but the girl was completely indifferent to all the contenders for her hand and heart. She was much more interested in other questions: she wanted to understand the mystery of the origin of the world, the harmony and beauty of which she could observe only from the window of her tower.

She was not satisfied with the answers of her father and numerous teachers, who claimed that all this was created by many gods, whom her entire family worshiped. She thought a lot in solitude and came to the conclusion that water and earth, air and the sun were created by a single creator, and not the gods that people created in their imagination and worship them.

Varvara categorically told her father that she refused to marry. Her answer puzzled Dioscorus, but did not upset him too much: he decided to allow the girl to communicate with young representatives of her circle. He did not lose hope that over time the rebellious daughter would change her decision. However, her father’s idea had the opposite effect: Varvara met girls who told her the story of Christ and explained the essence of his teachings.

Baptism

Secretly from her father, Varvara received baptism, which filled her with love for God and grace of such strength that she took a vow to devote her entire life to serving him. This news infuriated the father, and he wanted to kill his daughter with his sword, but did not do so. He beat the unfortunate girl and took her to the ruler Maximian, declaring that he renounced her and demanded the most terrible punishment for the apostate that she deserved for her decision. The emperor was struck by the beauty of the girl and tried to reason with her, but in response he heard that Varvara would not renounce her accepted faith.

Martyrdom

The girl was tortured for 24 hours, her body was covered with terrible bleeding wounds. But courageous Varvara did not renounce her faith. Having learned about her perseverance, another townswoman admitted to accepting Christianity. After terrible torture, both girls were beheaded. Varvara’s executioner was her father, who, according to legend, was punished by higher powers: he was struck by lightning, leaving only a pile of ashes.

History of the relics

The relics of the Great Martyr Barbara were transported to Constantinople in the 6th century. According to Orthodox legend, Princess Varvara Komnina, who was the daughter of Alexei Komnenos, the Byzantine emperor, in 1108, before leaving for Rus', turned to her father with a request to give her the healing relics of the great martyr.

Her husband, Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, named Michael in baptism, a year before had built a stone church in Kyiv, into which the saint’s relics were placed with honor. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery was founded there. During Batu's invasion, the relics were securely hidden and then returned to their place.

Under the Metropolitan of Kiev Peter Mogila (1644), part of Varvara’s finger was donated to the Polish Chancellor Georgy Osolinsky. Around the same time left hand The Great Martyr, who had been in Greece for a long time, was transferred to the monastery church in the city of Lutsk.

Six years later (1650), the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwill, who captured Kyiv by storm, stole two particles of relics from the ribs and fingers. Some of them were given to his wife, and later to Metropolitan Joseph of Tukalsky of Kyiv, who bequeathed them to the monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the city of Baturin.

In 1656, Metropolitan Sylvester of Kiev donated part of the relics to Patriarch Macarius (Great Britain). In the thirties of the last century, the St. Michael's Monastery was destroyed, and the relics of St. Barbara were transferred to the museum. Now they are kept in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.

Saint Barbara in Catholicism

The earliest Lives of the Great Martyr date back to the 7th century. This fact served as the basis for the decision of Pope Paul IV to exclude her from the list of Catholic saints who have general church veneration. He doubted the reality of the existence of Varvara Iliopolskaya. His decision was probably influenced by the fact that the saint’s identity was not documented. Therefore, since 1969 she has not been included in the list of Catholic saints.

Nevertheless, this did not influence individual communities that wished to venerate the Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolis as locally revered. For this reason, even today in many Catholic countries Saint Barbara is revered as the heavenly patroness.

For example, in the Czech Republic in December they traditionally celebrated the feast of this saint, which was on the eve of the approaching Christmas Eve (Generous Day). Since this day was celebrated two days before Christmas Eve, over time the two holidays were combined in many areas of the Czech Republic.

In Poland, Varvara Iliopolskaya is the patroness of miners. Her statues and images can be seen not only in miners' chapels, but also in churches and in miners' houses.

They chose her as their patroness based on the miracle described in the Life. Fleeing from her distraught father, Varvara Iliopolskaya ran up to the mountain, which parted and hid the unfortunate woman in its depths. True, nothing is said there about how the father managed to capture the fugitive. For all mining industry workers, the seventeenth of December is a non-working day.

Patroness of artillerymen

Saint Barbara of Iliopolis is the intercessor of all warriors, people, one way or another, associated with weapons. Therefore, her face can often be seen on military flags and regimental banners. The artillerymen revere Varvara thanks to another miracle from the Life - her tormentors, including own father, were struck by lightning. Remembrance Day of the Barbarians is celebrated in the armies of Australia, Great Britain, Norway, Canada, and the USA.

Customs on the day of memory of Varvara Iliopolskaya

On this day in the 19th century, “barbarians” - girls and women wrapped in white fabrics - walked from house to house in villages. They covered their faces with a veil or veil. White was a symbol of Varvara’s purity and innocence. Two or three girls went home together. One was carrying a basket of apples, sweets and nuts. These were gifts for children. Another carried a broom in her hands to punish naughty brats.

They knocked on the door, came in very quietly and sang a beautiful song at the icon of Varvara of Iliopol, and treated the kids. Sometimes older children prayed, sang or recited poems to receive a gift. Somewhat later, another custom appeared: girls stopped covering their faces, and only the tradition of giving gifts to children remained. In the evening, the children left a plate outside the window, and in the morning of December 17, gifts from St. Barbara appeared on it.

Interesting facts about Varvara Iliopolskaya

Looking at the icon of the Great Martyr Barbara, you can see the holy chalice (a special cup for Communion) in her hands. According to the canon of the Church, this vessel cannot be touched by any lay person - only by priests. IN Orthodox Church with a chalice in his hand, besides Varvara, only John of Kronstadt is depicted.

They pray to Saint Barbara for deliverance from serious illnesses and protection from sudden death. In addition, mothers ask her for protection of children, for help in sadness and despondency.

Saint Barbara is revered as the deliverer from death without repentance. Before her death, she prayed to God to protect everyone who resorted to her help from sudden death, and the Lord heeded her prayers. Therefore, even today they send their prayers to Saint Barbara so as not to die without Holy Communion and confession. And according to legend, those who leave our world on the day of remembrance of the saint are given communion by Varvara herself.

In 1883, an asteroid was discovered, which received its name in honor of this saint (number 234).

Many cities and areas around the world are named after her. The Great Martyr Barbara is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Forst (Germany), the village of Vlasikha (Moscow region), and the city of Strumen (Poland).

Many were erected in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara Christian churches all over the world. Probably the most unique, striking in its location, is located on steep cliffs at an altitude of six hundred meters in Meteora. This is the largest nunnery complex in Greece. The Rusanu Monastery was founded in the thirteenth century. The most beautiful Gothic church is considered to be the Church of St. Barbara in the Czech town of Kutna Hora, which resembles a carved elegant box.

The icon of St. Barbara, which is now kept in Samara, visited space in 2000 at the Mir orbital station.

Saint Barbara was declared the patroness of our country's Missile Forces in 1995.

The Great Martyr Barbara, whose icon is found in most Orthodox churches, cathedrals, and churches, is one of the most revered shrines of Christians. For many centuries people have been coming to her an endless stream people who confide their deepest secrets to her and open their souls to her in the hope of help and support. It is believed that Barbara has a blessing from Jesus Christ in protecting all those praying before her from cruel, violent death.

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara was born in the city of Iliopolis (present-day Syria) under Emperor Maximin (305-311) in a noble pagan family. Varvara's father Dioscorus, having lost his wife early, was passionately attached to his only daughter. In order to protect the beautiful girl from prying eyes and at the same time deprive her of communication with Christians, he built a special castle for his daughter, from where she left only with the permission of her father (kontakion 2). Contemplating beauty from the height of the tower God's peace, Varvara often felt the desire to know his true Creator.

Barbara the Great Martyr. Gallery of Shchigry icons.

When the teachers assigned to her said that the world was created by the gods whom her father revered, she mentally said: “The gods whom my father reveres were made by human hands. How could these gods create such a bright sky and such earthly beauty? There must be one God, Whom was not created by human hand, but by He Himself, having His own being.” Thus Saint Barbara learned from the creatures visible world to know the Creator, and on it the words of the prophet came true: “You have learned in all your deeds, in creation you have learned your hand” (Ps. 142:5) (Ikos 2).

Over time, rich and noble suitors began to come to Dioscorus more and more often, asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The father, who had long dreamed of Varvara’s marriage, decided to start a conversation with her about marriage, but, to his chagrin, he heard from her a decisive refusal to fulfill his will. Dioscorus decided that over time his daughter’s mood would change and she would have an inclination towards marriage. To do this, he allowed her to leave the tower, hoping that in communication with her friends she would see a different attitude towards marriage.

Once, when Dioscorus was on a long journey, Varvara met local Christian women who told her about the Triune God, about the ineffable Divinity of Jesus Christ, about His incarnation from the Most Pure Virgin and about His free suffering and Resurrection. It so happened that at that time there was a priest in Iliopolis, passing from Alexandria, who disguised himself as a merchant. Having learned about him, Varvara invited the presbyter to her place and asked to perform the Sacrament of Baptism on her. The priest explained to her the basics of the holy faith and then baptized her in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Enlightened by the grace of Baptism, Varvara turned to God with even greater love. She promised to devote her whole life to Him.

Church of the Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye. Moscow.

During the absence of Dioscorus, construction of a stone tower was underway at his house, where workers, by order of the owner, intended to build two windows on the south side. But Varvara, having come one day to see the construction, begged them to make a third window - in the image of the Trinity Light (ikos 3). When the father returned, he demanded from his daughter a report on what had been done, “Three are better than two,” said Varvara, “for the impregnable, ineffable Light, the Trinity, has Three Windows (Hypostases or Faces).” Hearing Christian religious instructions from Barbara, Dioscorus became furious. He rushed at her with a drawn sword, but Varvara managed to run out of the house (ikos 4). She took refuge in a mountain cleft, which miraculously opened up before her.

By evening, Dioscorus, on the instructions of a shepherd, nevertheless found Varvara and, beating him, dragged the martyr into the house (ikos 5). The next morning he took Varvara to the city ruler and said: “I renounce her because she rejects my gods, and if she does not turn to them again, she will not be my daughter. Torment her, sovereign ruler, as your will pleases.” For a long time the mayor tried to persuade Varvara not to deviate from the ancient laws of her fathers and not to resist her father’s will. But the saint, with her wise speech, exposed the errors of idolaters and confessed Jesus Christ as God. Then they began to beat her severely with ox sinews, and after that they rubbed the deep wounds with a hard hair shirt.

VMC. Varvara. From the article Shamordino, embroidered icons of the monastery.

At the end of the day, Varvara was taken to prison. At night, when her mind was occupied with prayer, the Lord appeared to her and said: “Be of good cheer, My bride, and do not be afraid, for I am with you. I look at your feat and alleviate your illnesses. Endure to the end, so that you will soon enjoy eternal blessings in My Kingdom." The next day, everyone was surprised to see Varvara - there were no traces of recent torture left on her body (ikos 6). Seeing such a miracle, one Christian woman named Juliana, openly confessed her faith and declared her desire to suffer for Christ (kontakion 8). Both martyrs were led naked around the city, and then they were hanged on a tree and tortured for a long time (kontakion 9). Their bodies were torn with hooks, burned with candles, and beaten on the head with a hammer (ikos). 7). It was impossible for a person to survive from such torture if the martyrs were not strengthened by the power of God. Remaining faithful to Christ, by order of the ruler, the martyrs were beheaded by Dioscorus himself (Ikos 10). But the merciless father was soon struck by lightning, transforming her. his body to ashes.

The relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople in the 6th century, and in the 12th century, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexei Komnenos (1081-1118), Princess Varvara, marrying the Russian prince Mikhail Izyaslavich, brought them with her to Kyiv, where they are still located in the cathedral

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