- Paraskevi
Paraskevi ("(Good) Friday" in Greek) is a female name. Variations include Petka, Paraskeva, Pyatnitsa and Pyetka
There are many glorified
saint s by this name (Greek: Αγία Παρασκευή, "Aghia Paraskevi"; Russian: "Svyeta Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa" Bulgarian: Света Петка Параскева; Serbian: Света Петка Параскева).Among them:*A second-century
martyr ofRome , especially venerated among theGreeks . TheAthens suburb ofAgia Paraskevi is named after her. She is considered to be a healer of the blind, because of the miracle she performed in restoring the sight ofAntonius Pius , who had earlier tortured her. Then Antonius Pius, humbled by the miracle, freed the Saint and ended all persecutions against theChristian s throughout theRoman Empire . She was martyred during the rule ofMarcus Aurelius after the persecution of Christians resumed. Her feast day isJuly 26 .
*The sister of St.Photina the Samaritan Woman. She was martyred whenNero was the Roman emperor. Feast day isMarch 20 [http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life680.htm] .
*A third-century martyr fromIconium , a favorite of Russians, who consider her the patron saint of traders and guardian of family happiness. Her feast day isOctober 28 , nicknamed Paraskeva-"Pyatnitsa" (that means "Friday").
*An eleventh-century ascetic. Of Serbian origin, she was born in the town ofEpibata on the shore of theSea of Marmara , near the imperial city ofConstantinople . She became an ascetic and lived in the wilderness many years, returning to Epibata two years before her death. She is beloved particularly in the Balkans. Herincorrupt relic s were placed in the Church of theThree Holy Hierarchs and later in theMetropolitan Cathedral, Iaşi , Romania and her feast day isOctober 14 . Alternate forms of her name include:
** Petka Paraskeva
** Petka Biogradska (as her relics remained inBelgrade for sometime)
** Petca Parasceva the New of Bulgaria
** Paraskeva the Younger
** Paraskeva PyatnitsaThey are recognized by the
Eastern Orthodox Church . Both Russian and Balkan Paraskevas were merged with old slavic pagan female deity of Friday [Boris Rybakov . [http://www.bibliotekar.ru/rusYazRusi/25.htm Ancient Slavic Paganism] ] . Her name was "Pyatnitsa, Petka" and other slavic forms of word "Friday" (with root "p-t" — "five"). Goddess Pyatnitsa was similar toMokosh .ee also
*
Theotokos of St. Theodore , a miraculous icon representing St. Paraskevasignificant churches dedicated to St. Paraskevi
*Church of Pious Parascheva,
Deseşti ,Romania
*Church of Saint Paraskevi, Paloumba,Greece .
*Church of Pious Parascheva,Poienile Izei ,Romania External links
* [http://www.roca.org/OA/133/133g.htm Lives of Martyr Parasceva and St. Petka-Paraskeva of Serbia] - as told by "Orthodox America", published by the
Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society
* [http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Paraskevi.htm History of Saint Paraskevi] - as told by theGreek Orthodox Diocese of Australia
* [http://www.antiochian.org/martyr_paraskeva History of Saint Paraskeva] - as told by theAntiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
* [http://www.rhaworth.myby.co.uk/hols/saints.htm A chapel dedicated to the saint] in a place wherevotive offerings have been made sinceMinoan times, four thousand years ago
* [http://www.orthodoxcentral.com/saints/saintparaskeva.htm Life of Saint Paraskeva in Orthodoxy]
* [http://orthodoxwiki.org/October_28 October 28 Feasts] - Orthodox Wiki
* [http://www.pravoslavieto.com/life/10.14_sv_Petka_Epivatska_Bulgarska.htm Gallery]
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintp2c.htm History and patronage of Petca Parasceva]References
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