Saint Margaret of Antioch
Virgin martyr of Pisidian Antioch whose story is largely legend
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Martyr, Virgin
- Life
- d. ~304
- Era
- 4th century
- Feast
- 20 July
- Countries
- Türkiye
Life story
Saint Margaret is honoured in the East under the name Marina and in the West as Margaret, with the added name Antioch, meaning Pisidian Antioch. Her Acts, usually set in the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, say she was the daughter of a pagan priest, was cast off by her father when she embraced the faith, and grew up in the countryside as a shepherdess.
According to those Acts, the governor Olybrius saw her and wished to marry her, but she refused and would not abandon her faith. He had her imprisoned and tortured, and then ordered her beheaded. In later tales she meets the devil in the form of a dragon, is swallowed by it and escapes unharmed. Scholars treat these episodes as legend, and some hold that even the century in which she lived is uncertain.
Even so, devotion to her spread widely, and she became one of the most venerated saints of medieval Europe, with many churches and paintings bearing her name. In the West her traditional feast was 20 July, while the Christian East keeps 17 July.
In 1969 her commemoration was removed from the General Roman Calendar because the historical basis of her biography is doubtful. Her name remains in the Roman Martyrology. The oldest evidence supports the belief that a young woman named Margaret was martyred at Antioch, and everything else is best read as traditional narrative.
Works and witness
- Honoured as Marina in the East and Margaret in the West
- According to her Acts, imprisoned and beheaded by the governor Olybrius under Diocletian
- The dragon episode is a later legendary detail
- Among the most widely venerated saints of medieval Europe
- Dropped from the General Calendar in 1969, still in the Roman Martyrology
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent) – St. Margaret
- Britannica – St. Margaret of Antioch
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.