06 Works, Today, March 27th, is Saint Matrona's Day, With Footnotes - #85

Saint Matrona

Matrona of Barcelona or Matrona of Thessalonica is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. She was recognized as a saint pre-congregation.

She lived in the third or fourth century. She was a young girl and a slave to the Jewish woman Pautila, wife of one of the military commanders, or governor, of Thessalonica.
According to legend, she believed in Christ from her youth. Pautila constantly constantly mocked her slave for her faith in Christ, and tried to convert her to Judaism. Saint Matrona still prayed to the Savior Christ, and secretly went to church unbeknownst to her vengeful mistress.

Pautila, learning that Saint Matrona had been to church, asked, “Why won’t you come to our synagogue, instead of attending the Christian church?” Saint Matrona boldly answered, “Because God is present in the Christian church, but He has departed from the Jewish synagogue.” Pautila went into a rage and mercilessly beat Saint Matrona, tied her up, and shut her in a dark closet. In the morning, Pautila discovered that Saint Matrona had been freed of her bonds by an unknown Power.

Pautila beat the martyr almost to death

In a rage Pautila beat the martyr almost to death, then bound her even more tightly and locked her in the closet. The door was sealed so that no one could help the sufferer. The holy martyr remained there for four days without food or water, and when Pautila opened the door, she again found Saint Matrona free of her bonds, and standing at prayer.

The martyrdom of Saint Matrona 

The Apse Church in Barcelona

Pautila flogged the holy martyr and left the skin hanging in strips from her body. The fierce woman locked her in the closet again, where Saint Matrona gave up her spirit to God.

Pautila had the holy martyr’s body thrown from the roof of her house. Christians took up the much-suffered body of the holy martyr and buried it. Later, Bishop Alexander of Thessalonica built a church dedicated to the holy martyr. Her holy relics, glorified by many miracles, were placed in this church.

Barcelona painter of 16th century

Gothic altarpiece with Saints Madrona (left) and Eulalia (right)

The judgment of God soon overtook the evil Pautila. Standing on the roof at that very place where the body of Saint Matrona had been thrown, she stumbled and fell to the pavement. Her body was smashed, and so she received her just reward for her sin.

Matrona of Barcelona

She is venerated in Barcelona and some villages in Catalonia. She is patron saint of the Santa Madrona church in Barcelona, the Santa Madrona hermitage in the mountain of Montjuïc, as well as churches in the villages of Madrona and Móra d'Ebre. The feast day for the Matrona of Barcelona is 15 March, while that of the Matrona of Thessalonica is 27 March. More on Saint Matrona

Patron Saint of Barcelona

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