Christian Martyrs: Saint Barbara
Wikimedia Commons St. Barbara by Vieira Lusitano
Saint Barbara was born to a pagan father named Dioscorus in Syria. To protect her from the outside world Dioscorus kept her in a tower, where only her pagan teachers could see her. Eventually, Dioscorus allowed Barbara to roam free. On her subsequent journeys, she met a priest in Alexandria, who baptized her.
Before venturing on a journey of his own, Dioscorus ordered that a bathhouse be built near his home, instructing that it should have only two windows. Taking advantage of her father’s absence, Barbara ordered that a third window be added to the bathhouse, in honor of the Holy Trinity.
When her father returned, he demanded to know why his bathhouse design had been changed, and Barbara freely admitted that she had it changed because she was a Christian. Dioscorus flew into a rage, grabbing his sword to murder Barbara right there.
She fled, and though Dioscorus pursued her, a hill appeared and blocked his way. Meanwhile, Barbara hid in a cave as her father searched for her. Eventually, he came upon two shepherds who had seen Barbara. The first did not betray her, but the second led Dioscorus to her hiding place. As punishment, God turned the second shepherd to stone and transformed his flock of sheep into locusts.
Dioscorus dragged Barbara to the Roman authorities, who sentenced her to death by beheading. Dioscorus himself carried out the sentence, but his own retribution was swift: On his return trip home, he was struck by lightning and killed instantly.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Wikimedia Commons The Martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria by Guido Reni
Catherine was born smart and brave. At the age of 18, she presented herself to the court of Roman Emperor Maximinus, and scolded him for his cruelty toward Christians. The young Catherine’s words impressed and threatened the emperor, so he had her imprisoned in his palace.
He summoned scholars to her cell, hoping that they might convince her to recant her faith, but she emerged from every debate victorious — even converting some of them to Christianity. In fact, after visiting Catherine in prison, the empress and the leader of Maximinus’ troops converted to Christianity, too.
The emperor couldn’t have a teenager converting his entire kingdom, however, so he ordered her to die on the spiked wheel. As soon as Catherine touched the wheel, though, it shattered into pieces. The frustrated emperor then dispatched the seemingly untouchable girl in the usual way: beheading.
Next, have a look at the most painful medieval torture devices. Then, read up on Hans Schmidt, whose brutal crimes made him the only priest ever to be executed in U.S. history.
