Saint Barbara

Saint Barbara was born in the early fourth century in Nicomedia or possibly Heliopolis in Egypt, depending on the tradition followed. She was a beautiful young woman, the daughter of a wealthy pagan named Dioscorus. Her father, worried about suitors, locked her in a high tower to keep her isolated.

While shut away in the tower, Barbara began to think deeply about the world around her — the stars, the sky, the creation — and came to the conviction that there must be one God who made all things. She heard about Christianity and secretly accepted the faith. When her father ordered a bathhouse to be built with two windows, Barbara had a third window added — as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. When her father discovered this and learned she had become a Christian, he turned her over to the authorities himself.

She was tortured and suffered greatly, but her faith never wavered. She is said to have experienced a vision of Christ that strengthened her. When her own father was ordered to execute her, he did so — and was immediately struck by lightning. Barbara died praying for her persecutors. She is one of the most beloved Coptic saints, especially venerated in Alexandria and Cairo. Coptic girls are often named Barbara in her honor.