St. Martyr Zlata of Maglen

On October 18 the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of St. Martyr Zlata of Maglen. She is revered by Bulgarians, Greeks and other Orthodox believers as a saint and martyr. Born in the village of Slatino, Maglenska eparchy and lived during the Ottoman rule in Bulgaria. She had a rare beauty, humble, pious, pure of heart and with firm faith in the Lord. According to the life of the saint a young Turk took her by surprise and kidnapped her. He asked her to renounce her faith and to marry him. She even declined to the requests of herrelatives to renounce the Christian faith. Turks tortured her long and ruthlessly and after that they hung her and chopped her body into pieces . Purified in the fire of suffering, St. Zlata died on October 18, 1795. She was chosen for a heavenly guardian of Bulgarians abroad. The State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad established the prize "Bulgarian of the Year" in the name of Saint Zlata of Maglen to be declared annually on 21 January. Name Day celebrate Zlata, Zlatka, Zlatina, Zlatko, Zlatan, Zlatomir, Luka, Lukan and others. (Photo: globalorthodoxy.com)