Today, the Holy Orthodox Church honors Saint Zlata Muglenska – a Bulgarian and Greek saint and great martyr who lived in the 18th century during the Ottoman slavery in Bulgaria. He was born into a poor family in the village of Slatina (translated into Greek as Hrisi), Maglensko.
Zlata has three more sisters. From an early age, she was distinguished by rare beauty, humility, piety and a pure, firm and unshakable faith in the Lord. The maiden’s remarkable beauty brings her great trials and becomes an occasion for her to endure the trials of a great martyr.
According to the life of the saint, a young Turk stalks her and kidnaps her. He asked her to renounce her faith and marry him. She did not bow even to the requests of her relatives to renounce the Christian faith.
The Turks tortured her long and mercilessly, and then hanged her and cut her body into pieces. Purified in the fire of suffering, Zlata Muglenska surrendered her soul to God on October 18, 1795.
On some of her icons, the Saint is depicted in folk costume.
On this day, the Church also celebrates the day of Saint Luke, who wrote the Gospel about the life and salvation of the Master, in which he describes the life and deeds of Christ. Saint Luke was also known as a healer and a talented artist.
He was born in the Syrian city of Antioch, where he decided to devote his life to the service of the Lord after his meeting with St. Paul. Before that, Luke was engaged in healing, and his fame as a doctor spread far and wide. Around 50, however, he abandoned this activity and together with St. Paul went to glorify Christ.
St. Luke is praised for his contribution to the writing of the New Testament. He is also widely recognized as the first Christian icon painter. Saint Luke was the first to paint the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Christ in her hands. He is considered the patron of all artists, that is why October 18 is also celebrated as their holiday.
Today is a name day celebrated by: Zlata, Zlatka, Zlatan, Zlati, Zlatko, Zlatimir, Zlatin, Zlatina, Zlatitsa, Zlatomir, Luka, Lucan
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