St. Barbara

Q: What is St. Barbara the patron saint of?

St. Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen and miners. She is also invoked as protection against thunderstorms .

Q: What is the miracle associated with St. Barbara’s martyrdom?

According to legend , St. Barbara was the daughter of a pagan named Dioscorus. When she professed Christianity and refused marriage, she was tortured and beheaded by her father, who was later struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.

Q: Who was St. Barbara?

St. Barbara was a legendary virgin martyr of the early Christian church and is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers). She is the patron saint of artillerymen and miners and is also invoked in thunderstorms .

Q: Why was St. Barbara removed from the General Roman Calendar?

St. Barbara was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because her authenticity is uncertain. However, she is still venerated as a saint by many Roman Catholics .

Q: Where was St. Barbara martyred?

Some accounts claim that the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis was the site of St. Barbara’s martyrdom . Others claim Nicomedia or a town in Tuscany (Italy) as the scene of her sufferings.

Christian martyr

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History

What is St. Barbara the patron saint of?

What is the miracle associated with St. Barbara’s martyrdom?

Who was St. Barbara?

Why was St. Barbara removed from the General Roman Calendar?

Where was St. Barbara martyred?

St. Barbara (died c. 200 ce; feast day December 4) was a legendary virgin martyr of the early Christian church. Venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers), she is invoked in thunderstorms and is the patron saint of artillerymen and miners. Because Barbara’s authenticity is uncertain, she was dropped from the General Roman Calendar in 1969. However, she remains a popular saint, and her feast day is still celebrated by many Roman Catholics.

According to legend, which dates to the 7th century, she was the beautiful daughter of a pagan, Dioscorus, who kept her guarded in a tower to protect her from harm. When she professed Christianity and refused marriage, her father became enraged and took her to the provincial prefect, who ordered her to be tortured and beheaded. It is said that Dioscorus himself performed the execution and, upon his return home, was struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.

Some accounts name the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis as the scene of her sufferings, while others claim Nicomedia or a town in Tuscany (Italy). The original Greek accounts of her martyrdom are lost, but Syriac, Latin, and other versions are extant. Her story, reproduced in great detail in Jacobus de Voragine’s Legenda aurea (1255–66; Golden Legend, 1483), was popular in the Middle Ages.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.