Dorothea of Caesarea

Dorothea (c. 279-290 in Caesarea; † around 305 in Caesarea ) is a Christian virgin and martyr. In the Catholic Church it is revered as a saint.

Life

According to tradition 290 Dorothea was born in Caesarea, the daughter of Christian parents. The pagan governor Apricius made ​​her an offer; but she rejected him because she had vowed virginity for the kingdom of heaven. The governor had them tortured and sentenced to death by beheading. The Vita Dorothea is decorated with numerous legendary lore. So should, as Dorothea had repeatedly spoken the name of Jesus Christ, standing by the roadside pagan lawyer Theophilus have spotted that he also wanted to believe in Jesus, if Dorothea bring him flowers and fruits from the garden of her groom. Then an angel appeared with a basket full of roses and fruits ( usually there is talk of apples ). Theophilus was converted, and publicly came to Christ. This enraged the governor (possibly under Emperor Diocletian ) so much that he beheaded Theophilus together with Dorothea. Therefore, the basket of flowers is one of the attributes of the Holy. Dorothea in Christian iconography.

Worship

Dorothea is usually depicted with a basket of roses, fruits, and in the garb of a consecrated virgin, often her forehead adorned with a wreath of flowers, an attribute of the consecrated virgins. One of the art-historically important works is the painting The Beheading of Saint Dorothea of ​​Hans Baldung Grien from 1516, located in the National Gallery in Prague. Together with the three holy helpers inside Margaret of Antioch, Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara of Nicomedia is one of the hl. Dorothea to the group of so-called virgins capitales, the great holy virgins. Your Memorial Day in the liturgy of the Catholic and the Orthodox Church is February 6. Until 1969, the Memorial also in general Roman calendar was considered, but was there deleted.

The hl. Dorothea is the patron saint of gardeners, florists, brewers, miners, brides, new mothers and the newly-weds.

Churches

  • Dorothee Church, Dorotheerkirche
Stadtholder Paganism Margaret the Virgin Anniversary Integrated Authority File
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