SAINT BARBARAH

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Saint Varvara, known in the Catholic Church as Saint Barbarah is a Christian Great Martyr, revered along with Nicholas the Wonderworker and Saint Elijah by the Orthodox, Catholic, Coptic, Armenian and Anglican churches.

Saint Barbarah/Barbara lived in the III century in the Phoenician city of Heliopolis, located on the territory of modern Syria, and therefore she is often called the Saint Barbara of Heliopolis (although, according to other sources, she was born in the ancient Greek city of Nicomedia, the center of the Bithynia region, that is, on the territory of modern Turkey). It is known that her father was Dioscorus, a representative of the Asia Minor aristocracy under the emperor Maximian, who, early widowed, was very attached to his daughter.

The girl was growing rapidly, and soon her relatives realized that she would become an extraordinary beauty, and therefore the jealous father in order to protect the child from unnecessary temptations and rumors hid her from prying eyes, imprisoning her in a secluded tower far from the city and allowing only teachers, that is, the pagan philosophers, to approach her.

However, enjoying the magnificent views from the tower, the aroma of flowers, the harmony and splendor outside, Barbara was thinking a lot about the world around her and came to the conclusion that only almighty God could create something as complex and balanced as the Universe. Therefore, she decided to devote her life precisely to the knowledge of the true Lord.

Meanwhile, the fame of the grace, charm and intelligence of Barbara spread throughout the country, and eminent aristocrats, valiant warriors, highly respected officials and rich merchants began to woo her, but she refused even the most noble and worthy of them. The father, however, decided that the nature of his daughter was spoiled by being alone, and allowed her to go out into the city. So, during one of the walks, she met Christian preachers and their teachings about mercy, spiritual equality and compassionate love for close others deeply impressed the young neophyte. Thus, as soon as a Christian priest appeared in Heliopolis, she was immediately baptized.

The Akathist hymn for Saint Barbara tells about a miracle that happened to her… Once, in the absence of her father, the girl dared to change the plan of the bathhouse under construction, ordering to cut three openings in the wall as a symbol of the divine light of the Trinity, and inscribe the sign of the Crucifixion on the wall… Moreover, when she entered the building, her footprint was left on the stone floor, from which a healing spring came out…

Returning home, Dioscorus was very surprised to see the changes that had taken place there. He demanded an explanation from his daughter, and, naturally, the young Christian had no choice but to tell the truth, conveying her new confession… However, she did not find understanding – her father was furious and decided with his own hand, with his own sword… to put the apostate to death. Fleeing from mortal danger, the righteous woman ran out of the city in horror and hid in a cave on the side of a mountain, but her shelter was given out by a shepherd who was driving a flock of sheep past the grotto… Later exactly at this place, the majestic Church of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara was erected…

Well, what happened next… Dioscorus dragged his daughter out of the shelter, beat her, imprisoned and starved her for a long time, urging her to renounce Jesus and the faith, but all this was in vain – the girl’s strong spirit, her moral purity and deep convictions remained unshakable! Then the father, blinded by his anger, stupidity, rudeness and cruelty, gave the “sinner” to the city governor Martian, who ordered to subject the righteous woman to new tortures – she was scourged with whips from ox veins, beaten with hammers, burned with fire, and the bleeding wounds were rubbed with a coarse cloth made of goat hair… «О tempora, о mores! » («Oh the times! Oh the customs! »)

Brave Iulania, Barbara’s friend, while watching her torture openly declared herself a Christian. Unable to withstand the terrible sight, she began to denounce the torturers, threatening them with God’s judgment. WELL…? – She, too, was seized and put to torture…

Suddenly a wonderful light shone over the righteous women – then an angel appeared, covering their bodies with robes from sun’s rays… Later, this moment of spiritual triumph was often reproduced by artists on their canvases. There is even a Catholic icon “Saint Barbara” with a similar plot…

Fearing such a sign, Dioscorus and Martian beheaded the ascetics, but, as the legend says, the Lord’s retribution was not long in coming – a year later both men were struck by lightning…

As tradition has it, Saint Barbara, having beheld the Lord at night, on the eve of her execution, asked him only one thing: to give her such grace so that people in danger, who did not receive communion and did not confess, could turn to her in order to receive intercession before Almighty.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Barbara the Great Martyr saves people from sudden death, prevents violence and coercion, provides protection from storms, natural disasters and fires…

There is a whole list of professions whose representatives are patronized by Saint Barbara. Even the mere presence of her icon guides those who work with flammable and explosive substances on the right path – artillerymen, military engineers, miners, blacksmiths, rocket designers, miners… Saint Barbara also protects climbers and for some reason gardeners (although, why can’t Saints have their weaknesses and attachments?)…

However, it is obvious that it is love for representatives of risky professions (such as miners), for gardening and stone flowers that makes the image of Saint Barbara related to the image of The Mother Earth in the mythology of the Permian Komi and Zyryans, as well as to the image of The Mistress of the Copper Mountain (Malakhitnitsa, The Azov girl, The Malachite Maid) – a legendary creature of the Ural miners, and a fairy tale character, created by Pavel Bazhov.

The Mistress of the Copper Mountain, like Saint Barbara, appears in the form of a beautiful green-eyed female wearing her dark hair in plaits. By the way, in Russia, since ancient times, girls wore one braid, and married women – two… Therefore, it turns out that Saint Barbara is the eternal bride – divine and unattainable…, “whose beauty and wealth is the beauty of precious stones and metals of the mine”, because she is the owner and keeper of all high skills’ secrets, of all secrets of beauty and of all earthly riches, which she independently disposes of… She was also considered and is considered the patroness of miners, who she can allow or prevent from developing mineral deposits, she can “take away wealth” or vice versa – give it with the help of lizards subject to her… She is hostile to the authorities and all kinds of minions; she helps only brave and freedom-loving laborers!

The first mentions of Saint Barbara date back to the 7th-9th centuries; for the first time, the story of her life was described in the Martyrology (a collection of religious texts about martyrs) by Symeon Metaphrast, a Byzantine writer and official. The Memorial Day of Saint Barbara was taken from there – in the Catholic Church on December 4, and in the Orthodox Church on December 17, which was previously considered an exclusively women’s holiday, on which girls prepared dumplings and arranged fortune-telling for them (different fillings symbolized different changes in life):

• • sugar promised a sweet life;
• • a coin – profit and financial well-being;
• • dill – good health;
• • a white thread – a long journey;
• • a black thread – a short journey;
• • a ring – wedding;
• • flour – failure…

Moreover, girls furtively broke cherry twigs and put them in the water – if the buds were blooming for Christmas, the young beauty could prepare for a wedding…

There were also other signs associated with the celebration:

• • the frost settled on trees promised a rich harvest of fruit;
• • a cloudless sky with bright stars – cold winter;
• • a dull and gloomy sky – warm weather;
• • a bright and rich colors sunset – sunny and clear weather;
• • when in the daytime people noticed flocks of loudly chirping sparrows in the trees, it was necessary to prepare for a thaw;
• • warm weather on Saint Barbara’s Day promised a good harvest of flax…

It is believed that on this day, it is better not to wash, whitewash and knead clay, but it is allowed to do needlework, since Saint Barbara was a skillful embroiderer and was very fond of doing needlework (this is probably why Saint Barbara also patronizes needlewomen and dressmakers).

On this day, memorial services for the dead are held in churches.

On this day, the name days of all girls named Varya are also celebrated.

The name Varvara, translated from Greek, means “foreigner”, “alien”, “cruel”, although in reality Varyas are modest, indecisive and hardworking girls, at the same time reasonable and withdrawn, who do not welcome noisy companies… Moreover, they are family oriented, they choose a husband meticulously, and they become wonderful wives and mothers…

In honor of Saint Barbara are named or related:

• • many geographic features named Santa Barbara;
• • geographic objects named Ayiya-Varvara;
• • Saint Barbara is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Forst in Germany;
• • Saint Barbara is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Strumień in Poland;

• in 1995, Saint Barbara was declared the heavenly patron saint of the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia. It happened because the Special Purpose Rocket Forces were formed on December 17, 1959, and when the question arose about the patron saint of missilemen, the Holy Great Martyr Barbara was chosen, whose day in Orthodoxy was celebrated exactly on December 17 (although everyone knows that there is no coincidence in life!);

• Saint Barbara is depicted on the coat of arms of the village of Vlasikha in the Moscow region because the command post of the above-mentioned Strategic Missile Forces is located here. The main command post is intended for centralized management of the duty forces, and here, there is an icon of Saint Barbara, in front of which the icon-lamp is constantly burning;

Varvarka is one of the most ancient streets in Moscow, which got its name from the wooden church of St. Barbara. At the beginning of the 16th century, it was dismantled and on its site, the Italian architect Aloisio Novyi (the same one who built the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin) built a stone church. In 1796–1801, the famous architect Rodion Kazakov erected the present building;

• the asteroid (234) Barbara, discovered in 1883;

• Raphael’s “The Sistine Madonna”, which has been hanging in the Dresden Gallery of Old Masters since 1754 and is recognized as the pinnacle of the High Renaissance in art (By the way, kneeling, to the left of the Virgin Mary, Barbara is in a cape of green color and for good reason!);

• during the Soviet Union, there was a small confectionery factory in the chapel of St. Barbara, where a variety of candy products were manufactured. And what is interesting: on the day of the memory of the Saint, spontaneous combustion suddenly happened, and once a fire almost ruined the entire factory… This way the Saint was fighting against the desecration of the chapel…

• a 1969 Soviet fantasy film directed by Alexander Rou “Barbara the Fair with the Silken Hair”;

• an American 1984 television soap opera “Santa Barbara”, filmed in the city of St. Barbara;

• in Spain, there is a proverb “Nadie se acuerda de santa Barbara hasta que truena” (“No one will remember Saint Barbara until the thunder breaks out”, which corresponds to the Russian “Until the thunder breaks out, the man will not cross himself”);

• a poem «The Holy Great Martyr Barbara» by J. Markovskaya (translated by Em Rostverg):

• to strengthen in faith when vague doubts, despondency or something similar appear;

Initially, after her death, the body of Varvara the Great Martyr was kept in Constantinople, but in 1108, the remains ended up in Kiev – “the mother of Russian cities”, where Princess Barbara (!), the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, brought them. She married the Kiev prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, who ordered to build the Mikhailovsky Golden-Domed Cathedral in honor of the relics. In 1935, the remains were first transferred to St. Andrew’s Church, and then, in the 60s, to the Vladimir Cathedral, where the relics are kept to this day.

In other words, everywhere and always around us, there is the image of this Holy Great Martyr, preventing death!

As mentioned above, Saint Barbara’s Day, in remembrance of one of the most beautiful women in the history of humankind, is celebrated in the Catholic Church on December 4, and in the Orthodox Church – on December 17.