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| St. Paraskevi of Iconium (Feast Day - October 28) |
The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi lived in the third century in Iconium, a city in Asia Minor. She was born into a wealthy and pious Christian family. Her parents held Friday in special reverence because it was the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ suffered on the Cross. For this reason, they named their daughter Paraskevi, a Greek name meaning “Friday.”
Paraskevi was devoted from an early age to the Christian faith. After her parents died, she dedicated herself entirely to the service of God. When she reached adulthood, she took a vow of virginity, choosing to devote her life to Christ rather than enter into marriage. She also devoted herself to proclaiming the Christian faith among the pagans, seeking to bring them to the knowledge of the true God.
During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian, around the year 300, an imperial official arrived in Iconium with orders to suppress Christianity. Paraskevi was brought before him and commanded to offer sacrifice to the pagan idols. She firmly refused, remaining steadfast in her confession of Christ.
For this refusal, the Saint was subjected to cruel tortures. She was suspended from a tree, and her body was torn with iron instruments until her wounds reached the bone. Afterward, she was thrown into prison, exhausted and barely alive.
God did not abandon His suffering servant. He miraculously healed her wounds, restoring her strength. Yet the miracle did not lead her persecutors to repentance. They continued to torment Paraskevi, burning her with torches in an attempt to make her renounce her faith. She remained steadfast, placing her trust in God and refusing to worship the idols.
According to the traditional account, Paraskevi also demonstrated the power of Christ before the pagans through miracles. Her steadfast confession and the wonders associated with her suffering bore witness to the faith she proclaimed. Nevertheless, her persecutors persisted in their cruelty, and she was ultimately beheaded with a sword. Christians recovered and buried her body, and numerous healings were later attributed to her holy relics.
The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi has long been held in special veneration among Orthodox Christians. In the Russian tradition, she is also known as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, with Pyatnitsa being the Russian word for Friday; she is also called Petka in popular usage. Churches and roadside chapels were dedicated to her, and her feast became associated with customs expressing the faithful’s devotion to her.
In Russia, Saint Paraskevi was traditionally regarded as a protectress of fields and livestock, as well as a healer of bodily and psychic illnesses. On her feast day, people brought fruit to church to be blessed, keeping the blessed fruit until the following year. In icons, she is often depicted as a tall and austere ascetic, wearing a radiant crown.
The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium, commemorated on October 28, should not be confused with the Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Rome, commemorated on July 26. Although both saints bear the same name and are honored as martyrs, their traditional lives place them in different periods and locations. Saint Paraskevi of Rome is associated with the second century and is especially venerated for her miraculous healing of those suffering from ailments of the eyes, while Saint Paraskevi of Iconium is associated with the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century. The Orthodox Church commemorates them separately, although similarities between their hagiographical traditions have led some scholars to question whether the two accounts may ultimately concern the same martyr.
Paraskevi was devoted from an early age to the Christian faith. After her parents died, she dedicated herself entirely to the service of God. When she reached adulthood, she took a vow of virginity, choosing to devote her life to Christ rather than enter into marriage. She also devoted herself to proclaiming the Christian faith among the pagans, seeking to bring them to the knowledge of the true God.
During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian, around the year 300, an imperial official arrived in Iconium with orders to suppress Christianity. Paraskevi was brought before him and commanded to offer sacrifice to the pagan idols. She firmly refused, remaining steadfast in her confession of Christ.
For this refusal, the Saint was subjected to cruel tortures. She was suspended from a tree, and her body was torn with iron instruments until her wounds reached the bone. Afterward, she was thrown into prison, exhausted and barely alive.
God did not abandon His suffering servant. He miraculously healed her wounds, restoring her strength. Yet the miracle did not lead her persecutors to repentance. They continued to torment Paraskevi, burning her with torches in an attempt to make her renounce her faith. She remained steadfast, placing her trust in God and refusing to worship the idols.
According to the traditional account, Paraskevi also demonstrated the power of Christ before the pagans through miracles. Her steadfast confession and the wonders associated with her suffering bore witness to the faith she proclaimed. Nevertheless, her persecutors persisted in their cruelty, and she was ultimately beheaded with a sword. Christians recovered and buried her body, and numerous healings were later attributed to her holy relics.
The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi has long been held in special veneration among Orthodox Christians. In the Russian tradition, she is also known as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, with Pyatnitsa being the Russian word for Friday; she is also called Petka in popular usage. Churches and roadside chapels were dedicated to her, and her feast became associated with customs expressing the faithful’s devotion to her.
In Russia, Saint Paraskevi was traditionally regarded as a protectress of fields and livestock, as well as a healer of bodily and psychic illnesses. On her feast day, people brought fruit to church to be blessed, keeping the blessed fruit until the following year. In icons, she is often depicted as a tall and austere ascetic, wearing a radiant crown.
The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium, commemorated on October 28, should not be confused with the Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Rome, commemorated on July 26. Although both saints bear the same name and are honored as martyrs, their traditional lives place them in different periods and locations. Saint Paraskevi of Rome is associated with the second century and is especially venerated for her miraculous healing of those suffering from ailments of the eyes, while Saint Paraskevi of Iconium is associated with the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century. The Orthodox Church commemorates them separately, although similarities between their hagiographical traditions have led some scholars to question whether the two accounts may ultimately concern the same martyr.
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Troparion in Tone 4
The wise and all-praised martyr of Christ, Paraskevi, having received manly strength and cast off feminine weakness, conquered the devil and put her tormentor to shame, crying out and saying: “Come, cut my body to pieces with the sword and burn it with fire, for I go joyfully to Christ, my Bridegroom.” Through her prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Kontakion in Tone 3
Having offered your most holy and blameless suffering as a precious gift to Christ, the immortal Bridegroom, you gladdened the ranks of the Angels and defeated the wiles of the demons. Therefore, we honor you with faith, O much-suffering martyr Paraskevi.
