St. Glykeria was born the daughter of a Roman governor in a.d. 156. Her name means “sweetness” in Greek, and her soul was surely sweet before God. She had converted when young from paganism to become a secret Christian. When she was called to attend a pagan festival to Zeus in her home town of Trajainopolis on the Adriatic Sea, she went and there challenged the Prefect Sabinius on his worship of dead idols. Amazed, he attempted to continue his prostrations, but St. Glykeria was unafraid, stepped before the idol, and by her prayers, it was smashed when an earthquake suddenly shook directly below the image.
Sabinius was beside himself in rage at this young maiden, and threw her into prison to starve her to death. An angel, however, came by God’s Providence and fed her heavenly food in the prison. When they opened the door and expected to see a corpse, all were amazed to see her in perfect health and quite joyous. When the warden of the prison saw this, he confessed Christ and was immediately beheaded. Unharmed after she was burned in a furnace, St. Glykeria was given to wild beasts at age 21 in a.d. 171.