Patron Olessia Kantor shares her excitement as she discovers more about Saint Margaret of Antioch in the below dialogue that replays her conversation with Sabrina Zappia, Italian, and International Chapter Leader.

“You have to see her!!! Look in your inbox.” A message arrived from Sabrina with three exclamation marks, which clearly showed that something was a matter of urgency.

I opened the email, and my heart skipped a beat.

Painted on a vertical panel, which recalls the tabernacle's shape, and framed by a Gothic arch, proudly stands a young woman in a magnificent green damask cloak. Golden palmettos of the embroidery and the little diadem on her head are of the shade of her golden hair. She holds a small Crucifix in one hand, and with the other hand, she welcomes a kneeling figure on her right. At her feet is a conquered dragon. The whole scene is extraordinary.

“Sabrina, she is magnificent! Who is she?” I texted back with curiosity and excitement.

“This is Saint Margaret of Antioch. The origin of the painting is unknown but dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. Originally from the Vatican Library, it has been in the Pinacoteca Gallery since 1908. The restoration labs just received it, and I thought you would love to meet her!” explained Sabrina.

She was right and I carefully studied the painting and gathered the pieces of knowledge that I knew about St. Margaret.

There is a small amount of information about her, but according to legend, she was the daughter of a pagan priest born in 275 A.D., an age when the apostles Barnabas and Paul spread the good news about Jesus Christ. A wet-nurse who raised Margaret then secretly introduced her to Christianity and eventually baptized her. She vowed to consecrate herself and forego marriage to belong fully to Jesus. When her father found out about it, he begged her to return to the worship of his many gods, but she refused.

‘’I give up! ‘’ Her father exclaimed. ‘’If you do not believe in my gods, then you are no longer a part of the family!’’

He disowned her and drove her away from his home. How sad. She became a shepherdess, and, one day, the Roman prefect Olybrius recognized the young and beautiful Margaret while she checked the flocks of her guardian. Mesmerized by her great beauty, he ordered his servants to kidnap her.

‘’Accept a marriage to me, or I will make you my slave!’’ He demanded.

‘’No, I will not deny my faith and break my vow,” said Margaret.

She was a Christian and consecrated herself to Christ. Margaret insisted that he convert to Christianity, but he became furious, and she stood trial in Antioch. The prefect asked her to renounce Christianity and return to the pagan faith of her family. He promised her wealth and comfort.

However, Margaret would rather suffer and die than worship false gods. The prefect had her tortured and imprisoned. During her imprisonment, she encountered the Devil that came to her in the form of a dragon. According to the legend, he swallowed her up, but the cross in her hand grew. It caused the monster to burst open, and she came out safe and sound.

The following events that took place are most likely the reason why Margaret is one of the most renowned patrons of expecting mothers. The next day, attempts to execute her by fire were unsuccessful, and the flames left her unscathed. Then, they bound her hands and feet before they threw her into a cauldron of boiling water. She broke these bonds by praying, and she was miraculously unharmed. These miracles led to the conversion of thousands of spectators.
Later, she returned to prison, and persecutors beheaded her. At 15 years old, she became a martyr.

Now I understand that the conquered dragon in the foreground of the painting symbolizes evil and relates to the most prominent episode in the life of St. Margaret. The scenes from the lower left to the lower right-hand sides of her depict events from her life. In the first scene, the prefect sees Margaret in the fields and admires her beauty. In the second scene, Margaret stands in front of the Governor and refuses to marry him. Once she is in prison, she finds comfort in the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Afterward, persecutors brutally scourge her.

The story continues on the other side, where Margaret is in prison, and the dragon attacks her.
She is in boiling water, yet she miraculously remains unharmed. In the third scene, her executioner instantly dies while beheading the Saint. In the final scene, the sick and crippled gather around her tomb to seek healing.

I texted Sabrina later that evening to say, ‘’I love this girl and her story! She did not let anyone speak for her, and she did not rely on others to fight for her. She was the heroine of her own life, not its victim, and when she stumbled, she kept her faith. Isn’t she a phenomenal woman? Let us make her voice heard for centuries!’’