| Saint Sophia the Martyr | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Italy |
| Died | ~137 AD, Rome |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | September 17 |
| Attributes | A woman accompanied by her three small daughters. Often she or all of them will hold crosses |
Saint Sophia the Martyr (d. 137 AD) is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church on September 17. Born in Italy, Sophia had three daughters: Faith (age 12), Hope (age 10) and Love (age 9), who were named after virtues mentioned by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.[1]
They are said to have been martyred during the reign of Hadrian (117-138). The guards took Sophia's daughters one by one, from the eldest to the youngest and beat and tortured them to death. Sophia buried her daughters' bodies and remained by their graves for three days until she died herself.
In the year 777 their relics were interred at El'zasa, in the church of Esho.
There is a common misconception that the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, is named after Saint Sophia the Martyr, and so the city's holiday is on September 17. Sofia is in fact named after its ancient cathedral church of Saint Sophia, consecrated not to the early Christian martyr but to the Divine Wisdom of God (Aghia Sophia in Greek). There are several icons of St. Sophia the Martyr and her daughters in that church, though.
Troparion of St. Sophia and her 3 daughters (Tone 5):
Thou didst blossom in the courts of the Lord as a fruitful olive tree, O holy Martyr Sophia; in thy contest thou didst offer to Christ the sweet fruit of thy womb, Love, Hope and Faith. With them intercede for us all.
Notes
- ^ Sophia's name means "wisdom" in Greek. Her daughter's names are rendered in Greek as Pistis, Elpis, and Agape. In Russian, they are called Vera, Nadezhda, and Lyubov. In Bulgarian, they are called Вяра, Надежда и Любов (Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov).
See also
External links
- Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome Orthodox synaxarion (OCA)
- Saint Sophia (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese)
- Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope & Love
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