Publication date: 13.11.2023

In Slavic culture, two saints by the name of Paraskeva were venerated. The first was St Paraskeva the Martyr (also known as Paraskevia or Paraska), who lived in Iconium in southern Turkey at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries. The second was a nun who lived in the town of Epibates in Serbia in the 9th century. In the 16th century the cults of the two saints were merged. The cult of St. Paraskeva the Great Martyr, known as ‘Saint Petka’ [Saint Friday], is associated with Good Friday. Her martyrdom in the early 4th century and her name (in Greek Παρασκευή – Paraskeví, meaning Friday) gave her the nickname ‘Saint Friday’, and her martyrdom is associated with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ. The central part of the icon depicts a frontal view of the saint with a radiant halo, holding a cross in her right hand. The painted quarters in the border of the icon depict scenes from the life of the saint and dramatic acts of martyrdom that ultimately led to the death of St Paraskeva. The images within the image include crucifixion, scourging on the cross, cutting off legs, boiling in a cauldron, hanging of the saint by her hair and beheading with a sword.