Saint Barbara
Author: Unknown
Origin: Unknown
Dating: 16th century
Material: Stone
Dimensions (cm): 79; Ø 92
Inv. no.: PD0605
Barbara of Nicomedia – present-day Turkey – was a virgin martyr of the 3rd century.
It is said that she was the only daughter of Dioscorus – a rich noble pagan man – who locked her up in a tower, not wanting her to live in the midst of the corrupt society of the time. Later, he accused her to the Roman authorities for converting to Christianity.
Despite being tortured in public, she never renounced her faith. Her father, in a fit of anger, took her out of the city and beheaded her. According to legend, at that precise moment, a lightning bolt tore the skies and struck down Dioscorus.
Her iconography has undergone some variations over time in relation to the representation of her attributes. The most common are the tower, the sword, the chalice and the palm. Other attributes were added according to the protection that people attributed to the Saint.
She is the patron saint of gunners, miners, firefighters, prisoners, mathematicians and protector against storms, lightning and thunder, against fever and sudden death.
