Sveta Petka: Life, Relics and Petkovdan on October 27

Sveta Petka (Света Петка), known in the Church as Prepodobna mati Paraskeva (Venerable Mother Paraskeva), is one of the most venerated saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church and of the entire Balkans. The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates her feast on October 27 (October 14 according to the Julian calendar). This day is known as Petkovdan and is the Krsna Slava of many Serbian families. In this article you will learn who Sveta Petka was, where her relics rest today, why she is regarded as the protector of women, and how Petkovdan is celebrated.

Who was Sveta Petka?

Sveta Petka lived in the 11th century. She was born in Epivat (Epivates) on the coast of the Sea of Marmara near Constantinople, into a wealthy and devout family. Her older brother Jevtimije became a monk and later Bishop of Madyta. He is also venerated as a saint.

At the age of ten, Petka heard the words of the Gospel during the Liturgy:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
– Mark 8:34

From that day on she gave her expensive clothes to the poor, even when her parents rebuked her for it. After the death of her parents she gave her inheritance to the needy and went to Constantinople, where she lived for five years in prayer and fasting near a church of the Mother of God. She then made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and lived as an ascetic in the desert beyond the Jordan. At the instruction of an angel she returned to her homeland. There she died two years later at the age of 27 and was buried near the sea.

Why is she called Petka?

The Greek name Paraskevi means Friday, the day of preparation for the Sabbath. In Serbian this became Petka, derived from petak (Friday). In Romania she is called Sfânta Parascheva, in Bulgaria Sveta Petka Tarnovska. Because her relics were venerated in Serbia for a long time and her cult is especially strong among the Serbian people, she is also called Paraskeva of Serbia, although she was not born in Serbia.

The journey of the relics: from Epivat via Belgrade to Iași

After her death, miracles occurred at her grave, and according to tradition her body was found incorrupt. The relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Epivat and venerated there for about two centuries. In the 13th century the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II brought them to Trnovo. There Patriarch Jevtimije of Trnovo wrote her Life and established her feast day.

After the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, the relics came to Serbia at the end of the 14th century. Tradition attributes this to Princess Milica, the widow of the holy Prince Lazar. In Belgrade they rested by the spring at Kalemegdan, where the Chapel of Sveta Petka stands to this day. In 1521 Sultan Suleiman took the relics to Constantinople. Since 1641 they have rested in Iași, Romania, where hundreds of thousands of faithful make a pilgrimage every year around October 27.

The chapel at Kalemegdan in Belgrade

The Chapel of Sveta Petka at Kalemegdan was built in 1937 on the site of a much older chapel above the spring, next to the Ružica Church. The faithful regard the spring water as healing. Every year on Petkovdan people queue before dawn to enter the chapel, light a candle and take water home with them. Around 250 churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church are dedicated to her.

Protector of women, the sick and the poor

Sveta Petka is invoked as the intercessor of women and mothers, the sick and the poor. Already during her lifetime she cared for the needy, and to this day the faithful turn to her in prayer in illness, hardship and when longing for children. Numerous accounts of her help have been recorded over the centuries. On older icons she appears as a slender woman in white with a golden cross, on newer ones as a young woman in a black monastic habit.

Petkovdan: how October 27 is celebrated

On October 27 the Liturgy is celebrated in the churches in honour of the saint. Many families celebrate their Krsna Slava on this day with Slavski kolač, Koljivo, Kandilo and invited guests. Those who celebrate the Slava go to church in the morning and have the kolač blessed by the priest. How the Slava is celebrated in detail is explained in our article What is the Slava? The Serbian family tradition explained.

Petkovdan falls in a period when other great Slavas are also celebrated: Sveti Luka on October 31, Mitrovdan on November 8 and Aranđelovdan on November 21.

The icon of Sveta Petka in the home

In many Serbian homes the icon of Sveta Petka has its fixed place in the icon corner, especially in families who celebrate Petkovdan as their Slava. It stands next to the Kandilo, which burns on the Slava and on feast days. How to set up the icon corner is shown in our article Kućni ikonostas: how to set up the icon corner at home.

You will find icons of Sveta Petka in various sizes and designs in our Sveta Petka collection.

Frequently asked questions about Sveta Petka

When is Sveta Petka?

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Sveta Petka on October 27 according to the new calendar, which corresponds to October 14 according to the Julian calendar.

Who celebrates Sveta Petka as their Slava?

Petkovdan is one of the most common Slavas among the Serbian people. Families whose ancestors chose Sveta Petka as their patron saint celebrate their Krsna Slava on this day.

Where are the relics of Sveta Petka?

Since 1641 the relics have rested in Iași (Romania), today in the Metropolitan Cathedral. The chapel at Kalemegdan in Belgrade recalls the time when the relics were in Serbia.

What is Sveta Petka the protector of?

She is regarded as the protector of women, mothers, the sick and the poor.

What does the name Petka mean?

The name comes from the Greek Paraskevi and means Friday, petak in Serbian.

Prayer to Sveta Petka

Sveta Petko, moli Boga za nas.

Sources

• Orthodox Church in America, Venerable Paraskevi (Petka) of Serbia: oca.org
• Pemptousia, Saint Paraskevi from Epivates, the Patron Saint of the Balkans: pemptousia.com
• Orthodox Christian Network, Blessed Paraskevi, the fragrant blossom of the desert: myocn.net
• N1, Priča o Svetoj Petki, jednoj od najvoljenijih pravoslavnih svetiteljki: n1info.rs
• SeeSrpska, Kapela Svete Petke i čudotvorna voda privlače vjernike: seesrpska.com