St. Barbara

St. Barbara was an early Christian saint and martyr who lived in the third century AD in the country now known as Turkey. She is sometimes called the “Great Martyr Barbara”. Her heathen father kept her locked in a lonely tower. When he was away Barbara instructed the builders of a bathroom to insert three (instead of two) windows, in honor of the Holy Trinity. On her father’s return he was enraged to discover her conversion to Christianity. He had her tortured and persecuted, and in the end Barbara’s own father was her executioner. However in an act of divine retribution, shortly after he beheaded St. Barbara, her father was struck and killed by lightening. She was buried by a Christian man and the place of her grave became the site of subsequent miracles. In sacred art works of stained glass, St. Barbara is usually seen standing by a three-windowed tower, carrying a palm branch in her hand, or holding a chalice. Her images often include flashes of lightening and a martyr’s crown. St. Barbara’s feast day is December 4th, and she is the patroness of the U.S. Army Field Artillery, prisoners, and architects. If you are remodelling or extending your church building and would like a stained glass depiction of St. Barbara, please contact us and we will gladly assist you.