Holy Martyrs Saint Sophia and her Daughters Faith, Hope and Love

On September 17 the Church honors the holy martyrs Saint Sophia and her daughters Faith, Hope and Love and the virtues that they represent – faith, hope, love and wisdom.
Legend has it that in the second half of the second century, a pious Christian woman named Sophia lived in Rome. She had three daughters that were named after various Christian virtues – Faith, Hope and Love. Because of their faith and love of God, the family was tortured and then killed during the Persecution of Christians in the time of Emperor Hadrian.
Since 777, the relics of the holy martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope, and Love have been kept in a small temple in Eschau, France.
Every person named after the holy martyrs celebrates their name day on this date. The Bulgarian capital also celebrates as St Sophia is the patron-saint of the city. The feast will be celebrated in front of St Sophia Basilica where the official ceremony of raising the flag of Sofia and Blessing of Water will take place.