About St. Lucy
St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) was a young Christian martyr who lived in Syracuse, Sicily, during the great persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian around 304 AD. According to tradition, she came from a wealthy family and had secretly devoted herself to Christ, refusing to marry her pagan betrothed. After her mother’s miraculous healing at the shrine of St. Agatha, Lucy convinced her to allow her to distribute much of their wealth to the poor. Her rejected suitor then denounced her as a Christian to the Roman authorities. Despite torture attempts, including a failed effort to burn her alive, she would not renounce her faith. She was ultimately killed by a sword through her throat, though many popular accounts include the detail of her eyes being gouged out during her torture (hence her association with eyes and sight). She is often depicted in art holding a plate with two eyes and wearing a crown of candles or lights. Her feast day on December 13 is particularly celebrated in Scandinavia, where it marks a festival of light during the dark winter. She is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, and her name, derived from “lux” (light), adds symbolic meaning to her role as a bearer of Christ’s light.
Prayers & Devotions
