Barbora Žagarietė
| Servant of God Barbora Žagarietė | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| servant of god | |
| Born |
c. 1628 Žagarė |
| Died | 1648 Žagarė |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 4 December |
Barbora of Žagarė (c. 1628–1648) was a Roman Catholic servant of god from Žagarė, then Grand Duchy of Lithuania. According to oral history, Barbora distinguished herself by her Christian virtues and died young under obscure circumstances. Her remains were said to be incorruptible. This inspired a strong following among local people, and numerous miracles are attributed to her. In 2005 the Diocese of Šiauliai began the process of Barbora's beatification and canonization.
There is almost no verifiable information about Barbora's short life, which is shrouded by various hagiographical narratives. She was the only child born into a noble family of Umiastowskis. Her mother died early and she had a strict stepmother. Local people tell stories about her care for the sick and generosity for the beggars. She would intercede on behalf of serfs and walk to the church on her knees. It is said that her exceptional piousness and devotion to God displeased and angered her father. She wanted to become a nun, and even joined a Franciscan monastery in Riga, but her non-believer father would not allow it. Narratives tell that she jumped out of the second floor of the manor to escape her father's wrath, and died of injuries.
Barbora was first buried either in Žvelgaičiai or Umiastowski family crypt. However, due to growing veneration of Barbora, her body was moved to the old church of Žagarė. In 1655, during the Second Northern War, Sweden invaded Lithuania and burned down the church. Barbora's body and hair was blackened, but otherwise untouched by the flames; as a result, her cult grew stronger. Tsarist authorities discouraged Catholicism and walled up the crypt in 1877; it was reopened in 1896. The remains were put in a glass coffin in the crypt beneath the high altar. In 1906 an entrance was made to the crypt from outside to ease access. In 1963,authorities of the Lithuanian SSR closed the church and transferred the remains of to an unknown location. At the same time forensic pathologist Juozas Markulis analyzed the body, but his work did not survive. Efforts to locate the remains were unsuccessful. When the church was returned to the congregation, a symbolic casket was placed in the same crypt.
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Wikipedia