Saint Paraskevi of Iconium | |
---|---|
Great-Martyr | |
Died | 3rd century Iconium (modern-day Konya, Turkey) |
Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholicism |
Feast | October 28 |
Attributes | red robe of martyrdom; vessel of perfume; Eastern Cross; scroll |
Patronage | traders and fairs; marriage (Russia) |
Saint Paraskevi of Iconium (also known as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa) is venerated as a Christian virgin martyr. [1] According to Christian tradition, she was born to a rich family of Iconium. Her parents were Christian, and Paraskevi was named as such (the name means "Friday" in Greek) because she was baptized on a Friday and because Friday was the day of Christ's Passion. [1]
Paraskevi became a preacher, and according to tradition, converted a man named Antoninus to Christianity. [1] She was subsequently martyred at Iconium during the persecutions of Diocletian. [1]
An account of her martyrdom was written by John of Euboea. [1] Paraskeva's cult and attributes became confused with that of other saints with the same name as well as pre-Christian deities of the Slavs. [2]
As one scholar asks:
Was Parasceve, or Paraskeva, an early Christian maiden named in honor of the day of the Crucifixion? Or was she a personification of that day, pictured cross in hand to assist the fervor of the faithful? And was the Paraskeva of the South Slavs the same who made her appearance in northern Russia? [2]
Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa "developed a personality and functions of her own on Russian soil." [2] Icons of the 13th-15th centuries from Novgorod depict Paraskeva as an ascetic figure wearing the red of martyrdom. [2] She holds an Eastern cross, a scroll professing her faith, or a vessel that holds the perfume of martyrdom. [2] She was depicted with St. Anastasia or St. Barbara or St. Juliana; sometimes she is depicted with male saints. [2]
In Russia, Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa was the patroness of traders and fairs, and of marriage. [2]
The veneration of Paraskeva by the eastern Slavs was closely associated with the ancient cult of the pagan Mokosha, to whom women dedicated Friday afternoon. The saint received the double name Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa, [3] (Russian : Параскева Пятница) meaning "Paraskeva Friday." Russified forms of the name Paraskeva (Greek : Παρασκευή) were also popular - Praskovya , diminutive. Parasha, Pana
Many Eastern Slavic churches bear the name of St. Friday, such as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel overlooking Krasnoyarsk. The word "Friday" even became a feminine name in its own right, which could exist alongside Praskovia, like the names Warrior and Postnik.[ citation needed ]
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Saint Anastasia is a Christian saint and martyr who died at Sirmium in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, she is venerated as St. Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, i.e. "Deliverer from Potions". This epithet is also translated as "One who Cures (Wounds)" in Lampe's A Patristic Greek Lexicon.
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Saint Paraskevi of Rome is venerated as a Christian martyr of the 2nd century. She was arrested and tortured under the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius for her refusal to worship idols. Though he eventually released her after she performed a miracle that cured him of his blindness, she was arrested on multiple later occasions for her Christianity and was eventually beheaded by the Roman governor Tarasius.
Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans was an ascetic female saint of the 10th century. She was born in Epivates, near present-day Istanbul, and had visions of the Virgin Mary. After living in Chalcedon and Heraclea Pontica, she settled in a convent in the desert near the Jordan River, where she died at the age of 27. The cult of Saint Paraskeva began to spread in the 14th century from Bulgaria into the Danubian Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. There was confusion over her identity and attributes because her Greek name "paraskevi" means "Friday," and translations in other languages, such as Romanian and Serbian, were "Saint Friday". Her cult continues to be celebrated in many Orthodox countries, and her feast day is commemorated on October 14 in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Saint Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian [Greek saint and martyr.
Saint Venera is venerated as a Christian martyr of the 2nd century. Little is known of this saint. The date of her death is traditionally given as July 26, 143 AD.
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Week - In popular tradition of the Slavs personification Sunday as day of the week. It is correlated with Saint Anastasia (in Bulgarians also with Saint Kyriakia. The veneration of the Week is associated with the prohibition of various kinds of work.
Paraskeva Friday is an image based on a personification of Friday as the day of the week and the cult of saints Paraskeva of Iconium, called Friday and Paraskeva of Serbia. In folk tradition, the image of Paraskeva Friday correlates with the image of Goddess, Saint Anastasia of the Lady of Sorrows, and the Week as a personified image of Sunday.