Saint Paraskevi

The image depicts a woman clothed in a mantle with a halo around her head.

Paraskeva is also known as Paraskevi, which means Friday in Greek. Therefore, in icon painting she is often called Saint Friday. Paraskeva is often portrayed as a personification of Christ’s suffering on Good Friday, and thus cannot be considered a historical person. Nevertheless, stories have emerged of the special role she plays in the business world and that her presence was important to commerce at public markets.

In the icon on view in our exhibition, Paraskeva carries a martyr’s cross in her right hand and a lexicon in her left.