Lucy of Syracuse

Martyr

Commemorated December 13

Saint Lucy the Virgin-Martyr (283-304), also known as Saint Lucia , was born in Syracuse, Sicily and was martyred for the Christian faith in the persecution of Emperor Diocletian around the year 304 AD. Her feast day is celebrated on December 13 .
There is no doubt of the great veneration that was shown to St. Lucy by the early church. She is one of those few female saints whose names occur in the canon of Pope Gregory the Great , and there are special prayers and antiphons for her in his Sacramentary. She is also commemorated in the ancient Roman Martyrology . At the beginning of the 8th century the Bishop Aldhelm of Sherborne included a brief account of her life among the virgins praised in De Laude Virginitatis, and following him, the Venerable Bede inserted the story in his Martyrology.

Source: OrthodoxWiki