Saints Vera, Nadezh and Ljubov commemorated today — mothers encouraged to honour their daughters
Orthodox faithful mark the martyrdom of the second‑century saints; custom prescribes gifts, prayers and avoidance of quarrels.
Today the Orthodox Church commemorates the second‑century martyrs Vera, Nadezh and Ljubov together with their mother Sofija. Their story — a combination of faith, maternal sacrifice and suffering under imperial persecution — is observed across the region as a day dedicated to women, mothers and especially daughters.
From trial to veneration
According to church tradition, Sofija was a widow who raised her three daughters in the Christian faith in Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The girls — Vera (12), Nadezh (10) and Ljubov (9) — were brought before the emperor and asked to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan goddess Artemis. They refused and were subjected to torture and execution. Sofija took their bodies outside the city, buried them and spent three days and nights praying at their grave before she died.
Before their deaths, Sofija encouraged her daughters with words that have been preserved in the tradition: “Your heavenly lover Jesus Christ is eternal health, ineffable beauty and immortal life. And when your bodies will be killed in torments, He will clothe you in incorruption and the wounds of your bodies will shine in heaven like stars.” This exhortation is often quoted in liturgies and homilies that recall the family’s steadfastness.
Popular custom links the feast to family life. Many families mark the day by mothers giving a small gift, a hug or undivided attention to their daughters; the emphasis is on presence and affection rather than material value. Folk belief also advises restraint from harsh words, quarrels and evil thoughts on this day, encouraging peace, forgiveness and acts of kindness within the household.
On the ecclesiastical level, believers typically attend church services, light candles and offer prayers to the martyrs for protection of the family against temptations, illness and misfortune. The Macedonian Orthodox Church also commemorates other martyrs on the same day, including Teodotija and Agatoklija, whose hagiographies are remembered in regional church calendars.
The memory of these saints raises a lasting question for the faithful: how much faith, hope and love do we have for one another when life demands the most of us? The celebration today is as much about remembrance of their sacrifice as it is an invitation to practice those virtues in everyday family life.
Photo: press material from the event
