Product Description
ST. BARBARA STATUE - 5 1/2"
This petite statue depicts St. Barbara holding the Eucharist in her right hand and a sword in her left while standing next to a tower. It is made of a plaster-resin mix.
Measures 5½”H.
The Eucharist represents her conversion to Christianity; the sword is a symbol of her martyrdom; and the tower is symbolic of the fact that her father, a rich pagan named Dioscorus, kept her locked up high in a tower to shield her from the world because she was very beautiful. Barbara secretly became a Christian and dedicated her life to knowing the true God and making Him known to others. She offered herself completely to the Lord, choosing a life of consecrated virginity. Because of this she was ill-treated by her father and dragged before the prefect of the province, Martinianus, who had her cruelly tortured and finally condemned her to death by beheading. Her father carried out the death-sentence himself, and in punishment for this he was struck by lightning on the way home and his body consumed.
St. Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen, architects, mathematicians, miners and the Italian Navy and is often invoked for protection against lightning and fire. Her feast day is celebrated on December 4th.
These unique statues are made in Colombia. Each one is individually hand-painted by talented women who are either widows, single mothers, or those who are sole providers for their families. Slight color and design variations may occur.