The lurking hypothetical planet
She had three windows put into her bathhouse to symbolize the Holy Trinity. And when her father found out, he denounced her to the authorities. She tried to escape, but her father captured her. He tortured and beheaded her. As punishment, he was immediately killed by lightning. Or so the story goes.
Sources: (Listverse) (History Extra)
According to legend, Barbara was a beautiful maiden who was kept away from the outside world in a tower by her father. While imprisoned, she corresponded with the Christian philosopher Origen, without her father’s knowledge. She became a Christian herself.
Her story was inspired by the 1802 discovery of a tomb in the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome. The tomb was mistakenly identified as belonging to an early Christian martyr. The name Filumena was inscribed, so people believed it belonged to a virgin with that name.
After 17 years, Alexius returned to Rome, where he lived disguised as a beggar under the stairs of his father’s palace. He lived a life of prayer and taught catechism to children. His true identity was only revealed after his death.
Once considered to be one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (believed to help against various diseases), the Catholic Church admitted her non-existence and removed her from the General Roman Calendar in 1969.
With no evidence, her existence has long been debated. In 1969, Catherine was removed from the Church’s liturgical calendar. But she was restored by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
Considered one of the most helpful saints in heaven, Catherine was born into a noble family and studied the sciences. At 18, she confronted the Roman Emperor Maxentius for his cruelty and persecution of Christians. Maxentius sent his scholars to refute her, but she debated them and managed to convert them. The Emperor ordered their execution, and had her imprisoned.
Originally called Offerus, he grew up into a giant of a man. And one day he decided to dedicate himself to helping people cross a raging stream. He began to carry a small child and felt him growing heavier, until the weight nearly crushed him. When they reached the opposite bank, the child revealed himself to be Christ.
A patron saint and protector of travelers, Saint Christopher has long been popular. However, he was taken off the Church’s liturgical calendar due to the lack of evidence of his existence.
While living in poverty, he was one day summoned by the Emperor to lead the army against invading barbarians. It was a victorious campaign, and Eustace was reunited with his family. When he returned to Rome, the Emperor wanted him to sacrifice to the pagan gods. When Eustace refused, the Emperor had him and his family executed. A popular saint during the Middle Ages, the authenticity of his story has long been debated.
The daughter of a wealthy citizen of Alexandria, Euphrosyne dedicated herself to religion and became a nun. To hide from her family, who wanted her to marry a nobleman, she disguised herself as a monk and entered a monastery as a man for 38 years.
However, she persisted and eventually won over the Empress herself. Outraged, the Emperor ordered her executed on the wheel. But she touched the device, and it miraculously broke. She was instead beheaded.
Even if Saint George wasn't English, he's the patron saint of England and represents the English ideals of honor, bravery, and gallantry. He was supposedly born in 3rd-century Cappadocia, in modern-day Turkey, to Christian parents.
One day, Margaret was tending sheep when the Roman prefect Olibrius was struck by her beauty. She rejected his advances, and, enraged, he declared her an outlaw Christian. He put her on trial, but she refused to adopt paganism. Authorities tried to burn her alive, but her prayers saved her.
Some believe she stayed in Rome during Paul and Peter’s mission there. Others say that she traveled to France, where she married and joined in apostolic preaching. However, none of these legends have been documented, including when she wiped Jesus' face.
Daughter of a pagan priest in Pisidian Antioch, in modern-day Turkey, Margaret's mother died when she was an infant. She was then raised by a Christian nurse who adopted her when her father disowned her. Margaret became a Christian herself and dedicated herself to God.
Another version of her story was that a dragon threatened her in prison. But she made him vanish with the sign of the cross. With the lack of documentation, her existence seems highly fictional. Her story surely provided entertainment for medieval audiences.
Found in many Catholic churches, Saint Veronica is depicted holding a cloth with the face of Jesus on it. This is because she allegedly wiped his face with the cloth. She was called to Rome of the request of Emperor Tiberius, whom she healed using the sacred image.
Her figure in the end is probably a linguistic misunderstanding. In Rome shortly after Jesus' death, followers did worship a cloth with his face on it. They called it vera icon, meaning "true image." The words got mangled into Veronica, which later became the female name.
There are no ancient sources that provide clear evidence of Philomena's existence. She was invented by rector Francis Di Lucia and a Dominican Tertiary nun in Mungano, Italy, near Naples.
An extravagant and mythical-sounding story, very little is actually known of Saint George. In the 5th century, even Pope Gelasius admitted that George is one of those saints "whose actions are known only to God."
There were no traces of his name in martyrologies or liturgical books in the West before the end of the 10th century. The basis to Alexius story can be compared to a Syrian man who was also known as the "Man of God," during the same time period.
Her father came to her, not knowing it was his daughter, seeking comfort from his sorrows. Euphrosyne was soon known for her holiness and wisdom, and only revealed her true identity to her father on her deathbed. However, modern scholars dismiss her story as mere fiction.
According to the legend, Saint Alexius was the son of distinguished Roman Christian senator Euphemianus. Arranged by his parents to get married, Alexius wanted instead to devote his life to God. He secretly ran away to Edessa in Syria, where he lived as a religious hermit. He became well known, and a vision of the Virgin Mary proclaimed him a "Man of God."
Forced to do pagan sacrifices, George instead prayed to the Christian God. The legend says that fire rained down from heaven, and an earthquake destroyed the pagan temples. The myth of Saint George battling a dragon was later added to the story. This might be due to the medieval ideals of knighthood.
George joined the Roman army and was even promoted in rank. But at the height of Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians, George resigned. He tore the Emperor’s edict against the Christians, which infuriated Diocletian. He was then imprisoned and tortured. George survived all the beatings, and his wounds were believed to have been healed by Christ.
Saint Eustace was a pagan general who one day saw a stag with a crucifix between its antlers, accompanied by a voice telling him he was to suffer many things for Christ’s sake. Eustace quickly converted to Christianity with his wife and two sons. Denounced for his faith, he lost everything, including his family, who were taken away by the authorities.
He was then baptized in the stream by the child, and renamed as Christopher, the Christ-bearer. He was eventually martyred, after converting many pagans.
Saints are an integral part of Catholic and Orthodox worship. But while modern saints, like the canonized popes John XXIII and John Paul II, have well-documented biographies, that's not always the case. Before critical analysis of the saint's life, people depended on legends, myths, and traditions for their biographies, also known as hagiographies. These sources are highly unreliable. Some early hagiographies may have a historical core, but they can't claim to truly get to the bottom of the story.
So, want to know which beloved saints probably never existed? Then check out the following gallery.
Saints who probably never existed
These saints are more mythical than real
LIFESTYLE Religion
Saints are an integral part of Catholic and Orthodox worship. But while modern saints, like the canonized popes John XXIII and John Paul II, have well-documented biographies, that's not always the case. Before critical analysis of the saint's life, people depended on legends, myths, and traditions for their biographies, also known as hagiographies. These sources are highly unreliable. Some early hagiographies may have a historical core, but they can't claim to truly get to the bottom of the story.
So, want to know which beloved saints probably never existed? Then check out the following gallery.