Paraskevi of Rome
Encyclopedia
Saint Paraskevi of Rome is venerated as a Christian
martyr
of the 2nd century. According to Christian tradition, she was born in Rome
about 140 AD to parents who were Christians. Her parents, Agathon and Politia, were of Greek origin, and had prayed for many years to have a child. When Politia finally bore a child, the baby girl was named Paraskevi, which means “Friday” in Greek
, because she was born on that day. Paraskevi grew up to be a devout and well-read woman, and she rejected many suitors.
At the age of 20, she gave away all of her possessions and became the head of a Christian community of young virgins and widows. She also began to preach the Christian faith, and at the age of 30, left Rome and visited many cities and villages. She was arrested by the Emperor Antoninus Pius
, who brought her to trial.
According to tradition, the emperor attempted to force the saint to denounce her faith, and even offered to marry her. Paraskevi refused, and was tortured by having a steel helmet lined with nails placed on her head. Paraskevi endured this torture and her endurance caused many to convert to Christianity
. The emperor had the new converts executed.
Paraskevi was imprisoned and tortured by being hung by her hair and having her limbs seared with torches. She was also immersed into a large kettle of oil and tar, but she emerged unscathed. When she was accused of using magic, Paraskevi responded by throwing the liquid into the emperor's face. He was blinded, and the emperor begged for mercy. She told him that only the God of the Christians could cure him. Antoninus Pius regained his sight and ended all persecutions against Christians in the empire.
Howevever, after the death of Antoninus Pius, the laws changed once again under Marcus Aurelius, and Paraskevi was imprisoned. She was captured in a city governed by a man named Asclepius, who threw her into a pit with a large snake. The saint made a sign of the cross and the snake was cloven in half. Moved by this miracle, Asclepius then freed her.
In a different city, Paraskevi was imprisoned by an official named Taracius (Tarasios), who placed Paraskevi into a large kettle of oil and tar, but she emerged unscathed, causing there to be new Christian converts. She was then tied and beaten and afterwards a large rock was placed on her chest.
The next day the saint was taken to a temple dedicated to Apollo
. She went there without complaining and Taracius was praised for his tactics. However, Paraskevi made a sign of the cross
and the temple’s idols were destroyed. The priests beat her and had her removed from the temple. They demanded that Taracius execute her. The saint was executed by decapitation
outside of the city.
The Athens
suburb
of Agia Paraskevi
is named after her.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of the 2nd century. According to Christian tradition, she was born in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
about 140 AD to parents who were Christians. Her parents, Agathon and Politia, were of Greek origin, and had prayed for many years to have a child. When Politia finally bore a child, the baby girl was named Paraskevi, which means “Friday” in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, because she was born on that day. Paraskevi grew up to be a devout and well-read woman, and she rejected many suitors.
At the age of 20, she gave away all of her possessions and became the head of a Christian community of young virgins and widows. She also began to preach the Christian faith, and at the age of 30, left Rome and visited many cities and villages. She was arrested by the Emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
, who brought her to trial.
According to tradition, the emperor attempted to force the saint to denounce her faith, and even offered to marry her. Paraskevi refused, and was tortured by having a steel helmet lined with nails placed on her head. Paraskevi endured this torture and her endurance caused many to convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The emperor had the new converts executed.
Paraskevi was imprisoned and tortured by being hung by her hair and having her limbs seared with torches. She was also immersed into a large kettle of oil and tar, but she emerged unscathed. When she was accused of using magic, Paraskevi responded by throwing the liquid into the emperor's face. He was blinded, and the emperor begged for mercy. She told him that only the God of the Christians could cure him. Antoninus Pius regained his sight and ended all persecutions against Christians in the empire.
Howevever, after the death of Antoninus Pius, the laws changed once again under Marcus Aurelius, and Paraskevi was imprisoned. She was captured in a city governed by a man named Asclepius, who threw her into a pit with a large snake. The saint made a sign of the cross and the snake was cloven in half. Moved by this miracle, Asclepius then freed her.
In a different city, Paraskevi was imprisoned by an official named Taracius (Tarasios), who placed Paraskevi into a large kettle of oil and tar, but she emerged unscathed, causing there to be new Christian converts. She was then tied and beaten and afterwards a large rock was placed on her chest.
The next day the saint was taken to a temple dedicated to Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. She went there without complaining and Taracius was praised for his tactics. However, Paraskevi made a sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
and the temple’s idols were destroyed. The priests beat her and had her removed from the temple. They demanded that Taracius execute her. The saint was executed by decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
outside of the city.
The Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi , is a suburb of Athens, Greece, in the northeast of Athens, about nine kilometers away from the city centre. It is linked to Athens by Mesogeion Avenue, a major road in the greater Athens area. It is a municipality within Attica region....
is named after her.
External links
- A chapel dedicated to the saint in Skotino, Iraklion, where votive offerings have been made since MinoanMinoan civilizationThe Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
times, four thousand years ago