Bio

 

 Also often called Dorothea of Caesarea, St. Dorothy was born around the end of the 3rd century in what is now Turkey. When she was young, she professed a vow of celibacy and lived very strongly in her Christian faith. She was arrested for this crime by a Governor named Sapricius, and she was thrown in jail. To try and get her to renounce her faith, a pair of sisters were sent to talk to her. These sisters, named Christina and Callista, had originally been Christians themselves but, when faced with torture, had decided to instead sacrifice to the Roman gods. Hoping they would convince Dorothy to do the same, the Roman government was more than disappointed to find out that, instead, Dorothy had convinced them to ask God for forgiveness and return to Christianity.

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The two sisters were then tied together and were martyred by being dropped into a vat of tar. Dorothy herself was then led to a torture chamber, but she faced each torture willingly despite intense pain and suffering. She announced that, when she was about to be executed, that she would soon be with Jesus, her true love, in her bridal garden full of flowers and fruits.

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A lawyer who was present named Theophilus made fun of her for saying such a thing, asking her to send him some of the fruit once she got there.

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In  complete seriousness, she responded that she would - and that she would meet him there in that garden soon.

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Dorothy was then beheaded with a sword after praying. Almost immediately, a small boy appeared out of nowhere carrying a basket containing a headdress made of apples and flowers. However, the month was February, and everything was covered in frost. There were no fruits or flowers to be found anywhere. He presented it to Theophilus, who immediately converted and was martyred as well.