By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Today, our Church commemorates the Great martyr Barbara.
The Great martyr Barbara lived in the 3rd century AD. Her father was one of the richest pagans in the cosmopolitan Heliopolis of Egypt. She was an only daughter and distinguished not only for her intelligence and prudence, but also for her stature and beauty.
Into the Christian faith she was indoctrinated by a pious Christian. When her father was informed that his daughter had converted to Christianity, ordered her strict restriction. But the brave Barbara managed to escape and hid in caves for some time.
She was eventually arrested and handed over to the region’s ruler. She was tortured, pilloried, and finally beheaded by her father himself, after remaining faithful to Jesus the Redeemer until her death.
The members of the National Guard worship the Great Martyr Barbara as a patron of the Artillery.
Source: Church of Cyprus
