Paraskevi from Iași
Paraskevi of Iași (* in the 10th century in Epibatai in Thrace on the banks of the Sea of Marmara ; † in the 10th century in Epibatai) was an ascetic saint of the 10th century. Due to the events in connection with the transfer of her relics to different countries of the Balkan Peninsula , she also became Paraskevi of Epibatai , Paraskevi of Tarnovo , Petka of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Света Петка Параскава, St. Petka Paraskeva), Petka of Serbia , Paraskeva of Serbia (Serbian: Света Петка Параскева, Sveta Petka Paraskeva), Paraskeva of Belgrade , Paraskeva the Younger and Parascheva of the Balkans (Romanian: Sfânta Cuvioasă Parascheva, Holy Wonderful Paraskeva) called. She will be venerated on October 27th in the Orthodox Churches of Bulgaria , Serbia , North Macedonia , Moldova and Romania .
The name
The name Paraskevi ( Greek : Παρασκευή) literally means “preparation” as the day of preparation for the weekend, the Sabbath , ie “Friday”.
hagiography
Paraskevi was born in Epibatai (now Selimpaşa), a village in Kalikratia, a Byzantine province in Thrace between Silistra and Constantinople, to well-to-do parents. Her older brother Euthymius became a monk and was later ordained bishop of Madytus .
One day while she was attending the service , the words of the Lord pierced her heart like an arrow: " If anyone wants to go after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me " (Matthew 16:24). From then on, she began distributing her clothes to those in need, as a result of which she endured much grief from her family.
After the death of her parents, Paraskevi decided to lead a religious life at the age of 15. After spending a few years in a monastery, she retired as a hermit to the Jordanian desert, where she lived the ascetic ideal in all its rigor and where she imitated the sacred life of the ancient hermit nuns in Egypt and Syria : long prayers, Night vigil and frequent fasting. She only ate on Saturdays and Sundays and slept on the bare floor.
One night when she was 25 she had a vision of an angel asking her to continue her efforts to lead a repentant life, but advising her to return to her hometown. Paraskevi left the hermitage and went to Constantinople. As a pilgrim she visited the shrines and placed herself under the protection of the Virgin in the Blachernaenkirche ; then she retired to Epibatai, where she practiced penance , mortification, and prayer for the rest of her life . When she died in loneliness two years later, she was met by people she didn't even know and her memories faded.
One day some sailors laid the body of one of their companions at the foot of a pillar saint . Since he could not stand the unpleasant smell of the corpse, he asked to dig a pit for him. During the digging, however, remains were discovered that smelled so sweet that they masked the body's odor. The following night a certain Giorgio, who had helped dig the pit, appeared to Paraskevi in a dream and revealed her identity to him. Her remains were brought in a solemn procession to the Santissimi Apostoli Church in Epitabai, where they remained for about 175 years.
In 1223 the relics of the Paraskevi were transferred to the cathedral of the Bulgarian capital of Tarnowo , where she was venerated as the national protector. Euthymius , Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1375-1393) wrote her life down and set her feast day on October 14th.
In the first half of the 14th century, the worship of the Paraskevi spread north of the Danube in the three Romanian countries ( Transylvania , Moldavia , Wallachia ). The Paraskevi relics remained in Tarnowo until 1393 when the Ottomans occupied the city. Then for a short time they were given to the voivode of Wallachia, Mircea cel Bătrân . Three years later the Ottomans handed them over to the Despoina Angelina of Serbia , who had them brought to Belgrade , where they stayed for 125 years.
In 1521 the Ottomans occupied Serbia again and brought the relics of the Paraschevi as a trophy to the palace of Sultan Suleyman I in Constantinople . There her relics were redeemed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate Jeremias I for 12,000 gold dukats and remained in the patriarchal cathedral of Fener for 120 years .
In 1641 the Patriarch of Constantinople Partenios I gave the relics of the Paraskevi to the voivode of Moldova Vasile Lupu , as he paid the annual tribute of the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Jerusalem to the Ottomans.
On June 13, 1641, the relics of the Paraskevi arrived unscathed in the Romanian Orthodox Church of the newly built Three Holy Hierarchs Monastery in Iași in Romania , where they remained until December 26, 1888 when they were saved from a fire and in the then new Romanian Orthodox Catedrala Cuvioasa Parascheva was transferred from Iași, where they are still located today.
Adoration
According to tradition, Paraskevi's parents should have been of Slavic origin, which is supposed to be the reason that it should have led to a special veneration among the Balkan peoples. In addition, Paraskevi was seen as a supporter of the people before the impending Ottoman conquest.
Already in the first half of the 14th century the worship of the Paraskevi had spread to the three Romanian countries on the basis of testimonies of extraordinary healings, which were ascribed to her. Hence, one can easily guess how much veneration must have increased with the arrival of the relics in Moldova in 1641.
Over the years the paraskevi worship has not diminished; it is still very flourishing today, especially among the Romanians who gather in the Catedrala Cuvioasa Parascheva of Iași, where the relics are to be worshiped and to ask for mercy and / or blessings. Paraskevi is known among the Moldavians as the "Light of Moldova".
She is the savior of women and children, the protector of the sick, of water and wells, so many Paraskevi icons can be found near wells and springs. The religious celebrations will be opened on October 14th by the Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina . Because of the importance of worship, it is also called the "glory of orthodoxy".
The veneration of these saints is not a phenomenon within the boundaries of the peoples who worship them, because with the emigration of the Balkan population, the traditions associated with the worship of the Paraskevi also reached Italy, where they managed to be carried out in a territory of the Catholic Church. The faithful meet in Padua in the Orthodox Saint Paraskevi Church in Via Tunisi. In Padua, the saint is not celebrated on October 14th, but on the last Sunday of the month.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Daniela Ciabattini: Santa Parasceve la Giovane nella tradizione slavo-ecclesiastica di Moldavia. In: Tesionline.it. P. 8 , accessed April 27, 2019 (Italian).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia. In: oca.org. Retrieved April 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Barbara H. Rosenwein: Reading the Middle Ages, Volume II: From c.900 to c.1500 . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 2018, ISBN 978-1-4426-3680-4 , pp. 411 (English, online version in the Google book search).
- ↑ a b c Santa Parasceve la Giovane. In: Santiebeati.it. Retrieved April 11, 2019 (Italian).
- ↑ Albania, conoscere, comunicare, condividere. S. 134 , accessed April 26, 2019 (Italian).
- ↑ a b c d e f Daniela Ciabattini, p. 9
- ↑ a b c d Santa Parasceva di Iasi. Retrieved April 27, 2019 (Italian).
- ↑ a b Chiesa ortodossa Santa Parascheva, festa per la "Luce Moldava". Retrieved April 30, 2019 (Italian).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Paraskevi from Iași |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Petka of Bulgaria, Petka of Serbia, Paraskeva of Serbia, Paraskeva of Belgrade, Paraskeva the Younger, Parascheva of the Balkans |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | ascetic saints |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 10th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Epibatai |
| DATE OF DEATH | 10th century |
| Place of death | Epibatai |