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The Martyr Christina lived during the Third Century. She was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. By the age of 11 she was very beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. To this end he placed her in a special dwelling where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them.
In her solitude, Christina began to wonder who had created the beautiful world. From her room she was delighted by the stars of the heavens and constantly thought about the Creator of all the world. She was convinced, that the voiceless and lifeless idols in her room could not create anything, since they themselves were created by human hands. She began to pray to the One God, hoping that he would reveal himself to her. Her soul blazed with love for the Unknown God, and she intensified her prayer all the more, and combined it with fasting.
Christina was visited by an angel, who instructed her in the true faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. The angel called her a bride of Christ and told her about her future suffering. St. Christina smashed all the idols standing in her room and threw them out the window. Christina’s father, came to visit her, and he asked where all the idols had disappeared. Her father was displeased, and put her in prison with orders to torture St. Christina until she renounced her faith in Christ.
An angel of God appeared each night, healing her wounds and strengthening her with food. Her father, seeing her unharmed, gave orders to drown her in the sea. An angel sustained her while the stone sank down, and Christina miraculously came out of the water and reappeared before her father. In terror, the torturer thought this to be sorcery and he decided to execute her in the morning. He summoned St. Christina and tried to persuade her to renounce Christ, but seeing her unyielding firmness, he subjected her to cruel tortures. St. Christina was in prison for a long time and a lot of people came to visit her. She converted close to 300 people while she while there.
A new governor arrived and resumed her torture. After various torments, he gave orders to throw her into a red-hot furnace and lock her in it. After five days they opened the furnace and found the martyr alive and unharmed. Seeing this miracle take place, many believed in Christ the Savior, and the torturers executed St Christina with a sword.
