Holy Righteous Martyr Paraskeva

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

can anyone give me some info on Holy Righteous Martyr Paraskeva?  she's the only saint who's commemorated on my birthday (26) and I'd like to know more about her.  for starters, why is she holding her head in this icon:



and, is there a male version of the name Paraskeva?  I don't want to change Patron saints or anything, but I'm just curious/

[LBK]

There is a Greek masculine form of Paraskevi (as they pronounce the name; Slavs and Romanians call her Paraskeva). Greek males named after this saint are called Paraskevas.

There are several female saints called Paraskeva/Paraskevi, and most of them were martyred for their faith. The one you're interested in is Martyr Paraskeva of Rome:

Holy Virgin Martyr Paraskeva of Rome was the only daughter of Christian parents, Agathon and Politia, and from her early years she dedicated herself to God. She spent much of her time in prayer and the study of the Holy Scriptures. After the death of her parents St Paraskeva distributed all of her inheritance to the poor, and consecrated her virginity to Christ. Emulating the holy Apostles, she began to preach to the pagans about Christ, converting many to Christianity.

She was arrested during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161) because she refused to worship the idols. She was brought to trial and fearlessly confessed herself a Christian. Neither enticements of honors and material possessions, nor threats of torture and death shook the firmness of the saint nor turned her from Christ. She was given over to beastly tortures. They put a red-hot helmet on her head and threw her in a cauldron filled with boiling oil and pitch. By the power of God the holy martyr remained unharmed. When the emperor peered into the cauldron, St Paraskeva threw a drop of the hot liquid in his face, and he was burned. The emperor began to ask her for help, and the holy martyr healed him. After this the emperor set her free.

Traveling from one place to another to preach the Gospel, St Paraskeva arrived in a city where the governor was named Asclepius. Here again they tried the saint and sentenced her to death. They took her to an immense serpent living in a cave, so that it would devour her. But St Paraskeva made the Sign of the Cross over the snake and it died. Asclepius and the citizens witnessed this miracle and believed in Christ. She was set free, and continued her preaching. In a city where the governor was a certain Tarasius, St Paraskeva endured fierce tortures and was beheaded in the year 140.

Many miracles took place at the saint's tomb: the blind received sight, the lame walked, and barren women gave birth to children. It is not only in the past that the saint performed her miracles, but even today she helps those who call on her in faith.

She is holding her head in her icon to indicate the manner in which she died. The other panels in the corners of the icon show important scenes from her life.

she's the only saint who's commemorated on my birthday

Not so, my young friend!  

Here's a list of saints commemorated on July 26, derived from various church calendars:

Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus,and Hermocrates at Nicomedia
Martyr Oriozela of Reuma
Virgin-martyr Jerusalem
St Moses the Hungarian
St Gerontius of Mt Athos
St Savva III of Serbia
St Jacob of Alaska
Assembly of All Saints of Smolensk
Martyr Appion
Venerable Symeon, archimandrite
Simeon of Padolirone July 26
Symphronius, Olympius, Theodulus and Exuperia Valens, Bishop of Verona in Italy

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

There is a Greek masculine form of Paraskevi (as they pronounce the name; Slavs and Romanians call her Paraskeva). Greek males named after this saint are called Paraskevas.

There are several female saints called Paraskeva/Paraskevi, and most of them were martyred for their faith. The one you're interested in is Martyr Paraskeva of Rome:

Holy Virgin Martyr Paraskeva of Rome was the only daughter of Christian parents, Agathon and Politia, and from her early years she dedicated herself to God. She spent much of her time in prayer and the study of the Holy Scriptures. After the death of her parents St Paraskeva distributed all of her inheritance to the poor, and consecrated her virginity to Christ. Emulating the holy Apostles, she began to preach to the pagans about Christ, converting many to Christianity.

She was arrested during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161) because she refused to worship the idols. She was brought to trial and fearlessly confessed herself a Christian. Neither enticements of honors and material possessions, nor threats of torture and death shook the firmness of the saint nor turned her from Christ. She was given over to beastly tortures. They put a red-hot helmet on her head and threw her in a cauldron filled with boiling oil and pitch. By the power of God the holy martyr remained unharmed. When the emperor peered into the cauldron, St Paraskeva threw a drop of the hot liquid in his face, and he was burned. The emperor began to ask her for help, and the holy martyr healed him. After this the emperor set her free.

Traveling from one place to another to preach the Gospel, St Paraskeva arrived in a city where the governor was named Asclepius. Here again they tried the saint and sentenced her to death. They took her to an immense serpent living in a cave, so that it would devour her. But St Paraskeva made the Sign of the Cross over the snake and it died. Asclepius and the citizens witnessed this miracle and believed in Christ. She was set free, and continued her preaching. In a city where the governor was a certain Tarasius, St Paraskeva endured fierce tortures and was beheaded in the year 140.

Many miracles took place at the saint's tomb: the blind received sight, the lame walked, and barren women gave birth to children. It is not only in the past that the saint performed her miracles, but even today she helps those who call on her in faith.

She is holding her head in her icon to indicate the manner in which she died. The other panels in the corners of the icon show important scenes from her life.

she's the only saint who's commemorated on my birthday

Not so, my young friend! 

Here's a list of saints commemorated on July 26, derived from various church calendars:

Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus,and Hermocrates at Nicomedia
Martyr Oriozela of Reuma
Virgin-martyr Jerusalem
St Moses the Hungarian
St Gerontius of Mt Athos
St Savva III of Serbia
St Jacob of Alaska
Assembly of All Saints of Smolensk
Martyr Appion
Venerable Symeon, archimandrite

thanks!  wow, that's a good many saints for just one day!  I wish they made an icon depicting the saints of July.

[LBK]

thanks!  wow, that's a good many saints for just one day!  I wish they made an icon depicting the saints of July.

There are icons for the main saints and feasts of every month of the year, including July. They're known as calendar icons, and a church will use them where it does not have a specific icon for the saint or feast that is being commemorated during that day's Liturgy. Here's a link to an example:

http://www.morsink.com/russian~icons/v/18~-~calendar~icon~month~july?viewtype=stacked&page=1

[augustin717]

In Romanian there exists a masculine version of the name, as well-Paraschiv, the feminine being Parascheva/Paraschiva.

[Quinault]

Paraskeve is our eldest daughters' patron saint. My daughter fell in love with the story and the fact that in many icons (like the one we have) she is holding a bowl of eyeballs.

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

Paraskeve is our eldest daughters' patron saint. My daughter fell in love with the story and the fact that in many icons (like the one we have) she is holding a bowl of eyeballs.

Wow!  it would be GREAT if you could post a picture of the icon!

[Michał Kalina]

can anyone give me some info on Holy Righteous Martyr Paraskeva?  she's the only saint who's commemorated on my birthday (26) and I'd like to know more about her.

There are also St. James of Alaska; Saint Hermolaus; Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia; St. Moses the Hungarian; St. Gerontius of Athos; St. Savva III of Serbia and also St. Sergius the Presbyter, St. Virgin Martyr Oriozela of Reuma, disciple of Saint Andrew; Saint Ignatius, monk of Mount Stirion; St. Martyr Appion; St. Virgin Martyr Jerusalem of Byzantium and Saint Prisca the Righteous Martyr.

[Quinault]

It is this icon, although it is fairy small and difficult to see the detail of it.
http://www.skete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=926&Category_ID=50


This one is pretty cool too;
http://www.eikonografos.com/album/displayimage.php?album=12&pos=217

The icon she loves is similar to this one;
http://www.eikonografos.com/album/displayimage.php?album=12&pos=207

[Quinault]

My birthday is the same day as yours. If I were a man, I would choose Saint Jacob Netsvetov (but as an American Indian I am very biased towards native saints).

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Jacob_Netsvetov

[LBK]

Paraskeve is our eldest daughters' patron saint. My daughter fell in love with the story and the fact that in many icons (like the one we have) she is holding a bowl of eyeballs.

Wow!  it would be GREAT if you could post a picture of the icon!

The "bowl of eyeballs" is actually quite contrary to the principles of iconography. Icons are meant to convey stillness, gravitas and dispassion, and a bowl of eyeballs goes right against this. At the most, St Paraskeva would be holding a dish on which two eyes are painted. This is a more acceptable reference to her being an intecessor for those with vision problems or eye ailments.

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

I agree, I like this one alot.
(thanks to Quinault for the image)

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