Paraskevi of Iconium

Saint Paraskevi of Iconium (also known as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa) and in Bulgaria (Sveta Petka Samardjiyska - lit. "Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers") is venerated as a Christian virgin martyr. According to Christian tradition, she was born to a rich family of Iconium. Her parents were Christian, and Paraskevi was named as such (the name means "Friday" in Greek) because she was baptized on a Friday, the day of Christ's Passion.

Life

According to tradition, Paraskevi converted a man named Antoninus to Christianity. She was subsequently martyred at Iconium during the persecutions of Diocletian.

As one scholar asks:

Was Parasceve, or Paraskeva, an early Christian maiden named in honor of the day of the Crucifixion? Or was she a personification of that day, pictured cross in hand to assist the fervor of the faithful? And was the Paraskeva of the South Slavs the same who made her appearance in northern Russia?

Eastern Slavs Martyrdom of St. Paraskeva by fire. Branding of a hagiographic icon

The veneration of Paraskeva by the eastern Slavs was closely associated with the ancient cult of the pagan Mokosha, to whom women dedicated Friday afternoon. The saint received the double name Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa, meaning "Paraskeva Friday". Russified forms of the name Paraskeva were also popular, as Praskovya and diminutives Parasha and Pana.

Many Eastern Slavic churches bear the name of St. Friday, such as Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel overlooking Krasnoyarsk. The Slavic correspondent of "Friday", as Russian "Pyanitsa", even became a feminine name in its own right, which could exist alongside Praskovya.