Saint Sophia the Martyr

Saint Sophia (died 137) is a saint venerated by the Orthodox Church, whose feast day is celebrated on September 18, and by the Catholic Church, which celebrates her on September 30. Sophia was born in Italy and had three daughters: Faith (12 years old), Hope (10 years old), and Charity (9 years old), who were named after the virtues mentioned by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. It is said that the three daughters were martyred during the reign of Hadrian (117–138). Guards reportedly took Sophia's daughters one by one, from oldest to youngest, and beat and tortured them to death. Sophia buried her daughters' bodies and remained by the grave for three days until she finally died. According to tradition, part of her relics were moved in 778 to a convent located in Eschau, Alsace, in modern-day France. There is a misconception that the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, was named in honor of Saint Sophia, and that the city's feast day is therefore September 17. In fact, the city owes its name to its church, the ancient Saint Sophia Cathedral, which was consecrated not to the Christian martyr, but to the divine wisdom of God (Agia Sophia, in Greek). However, there are several icons of the martyr Sophia and her daughters in that church.