Saint Margaret of Antioch is considered to be one of a group of fourteen saints known as the "Fourteen Holy Helpers". During the 14th century when plague swept through Europe and death often occurred suddenly, many people missed receiving the final sacraments. In fear, the living sought the intercession of saints known individually for helping with different problems.

Commonly depicted with a dragon beneath her feet Margaret is believed to be particularly sympathetic to women suffering the pains of childbirth. Although some people consider her to be the lovely princess rescued by St. George she has her own legend which is not at all related to that of the knight.

Her heraldic symbol is a long silver crucifix impaling a yellow dragon on a purple field.
Her feast day is July 20th (July 13th for the Greek Orthodox Church.)

Margaret (known as Marina in the Greek Orthodox faith) was the daughter of the pagan priest Aedesius, in Pisidian Antioch, Asia Minor (modern Turkey). She was one of the most beautiful women alive in her time. When her mother died she was raised by her nursemaid, a Christian woman who converted her. Subsequently she was thrown out of her father's home for turning from the family faith, and lived as a shepherdess.

When a Roman prefect, Olybrius, arrived in the region to persecute the Christians she was imprisoned. The prefect, fascinated by her beauty, desired to save her life and add her to the already considerable number of his wives and concubines. He decided to attempt to overcome her resistance by questioning her before an assembly consisting of virtually the entire city. Her reply to his ultimatum, offering her a choice between joy and torments, was recorded and became renowned. She said: "The true life and true joy, thanks be to God, I have already found, and have placed them in the stronghold of my heart that they may never be removed. I mean that I adore and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, that I venerate Him with confidence and will never cease to honour Him with my whole soul. Know that no human power, no torture will be able to extract from my heart so great a treasure"

The prefect scornfully replied that someone had certainly put such ideas into her very young and inexperienced head and a long dialogue ensued, Margaret striving to make him understand the reason for her confidence, and that God Himself gives replies to those who believe in Him when they are questioned, according to His own promise. Hearing her say that her Lord was not merely a man, but very genuinely God and Man at one same time, whose power was far above that of emperors, he became furious and sent her to be scourged, suspended in the air by her hands. Many spectators wept and begged her to have pity on herself. She replied: "Illustrious gentlemen and noble ladies, do not weaken my courage, for as the Apostle said, bad conversation corrupts good habits. But I forgive you, because you act this way out of sympathy and do not possess the true light"

Cast back into prison still alive, Satan or another of his demons visited her in the form of a handsome man, and offered her release from her cell in exchange for her giving up her virginity. She saw through the demon's guise and promptly beat him to the ground, planted her foot on his neck and humiliated the fiend fiercely before commanding him to return to hell. Enraged by this defeat, Satan sent a dragon to her cell to slay the impudent virgin.

Most accounts say her crucifix slew the monster, some have her holding it before the dragon and it died, other pictures and accounts give her a crucifix/shepherds staff that she was permitted to keep in her cell, and she slew the dragon with it. The best known account has the dragon swallow her whole, but she makes her crucifix grow in size until it rips the dragon open and she emerged from its belly. This feat is how she became associated with childbirth despite her virginity, though some accounts said that she would hear the prayers of women in childbirth.

When on the following day she was again publicly interrogated and subjected to the torment of burning torches, she felt no pain. Plunged into a cauldron of boiling water she emerged unharmed, continuing to exhort the spectators to understand whom it was she adored but finally was beheaded with a large number of those whom her words had caused to believe as she did.

Margaret's legend has it that the soldier assigned to carry out the beheading begged her forgiveness and that he might be allowed to enter with her into the grace of the God she had so worshipped. Margaret assured him his request would be honoured and as her head was struck from her body the soldier fell dead beside her. Divine retribution?

Or Margaret, confident in doing things her own way to the last, saying "Be careful what you wish for....."

The Fourteen Holy Helpers

Achatius against headaches
Barbara against fever, against sudden death
Blaise against ills of the throat
Catherine of Alexandria against sudden death
Christopher against plagues, against sudden death
Cyriacus against temptations, especially at time of death
Denis against headaches
Erasmus against abdominal maladies, for protection of domestic animals
Eustachius against family trouble
George for protection of domestic animals
Giles against plagues, for a good confession
Margaret of Antioch for safe childbirth
Pantaleon for physicians, for protection of domestic animals
Vitus against epilepsy, for protection of domestic animals