"SAINT BARBARA" "NICOMEDIA ( ASIA M INOR) 289 A. D." "Mama!" "Mama!" "Dioscorus..." "What is it, PoIicarpus?" "Your wife is dead." "Her body is in the Iazar house." "We'II take it away and give her a dignified burial." "No..." "Leave it there." " But..." " Burn it." "That's the Iaw." "What will you tell your daughter Barbara?" "Barbara mustn't find out." "Swear to me." " Papa!" " Barbara, my darling!" "I dreamt that mama was showing me the stars." "When is she coming back?" "Your mother..." "Where's mama?" "She's not coming back." "Beginning of the 4th Century A. D." "Emperor DiocIetian began the greatest persecution of Christians in an attempt to save his empire and his unity." "With this aim he established the divine nature of the Emperor and imposed his adoration." "Those who did not obey his rules were traitors of the gods and the people and were punished with death." "CENTRAL ITALY, 1 5 YEARS LATER" "Mistress Barbara!" "Is this all right?" "Make sure the gliding covers half of the tip." "Yes, but then what do we do?" "Put it on the boat and lower it into the sea." "And then?" "We wait and hope there will be a storm." "JuIiana!" "Tonight there will be a great storm and you will see I am right." "Continue looking at him like that and you will wear your eyes out." "well?" "What's it like to be in love?" " Not me!" " Come on!" " I'd Iike to always be with him." " And not me?" "You and I were supposed to be together all the time." "I'm joking." "Your Livius is nice, you have my permission to love him." "Thank you, mistress." "Your father is looking for you." " Leave it, I'II carry it." " Don't worry, it's light." "slave, give us a drink." "Where can we find some water?" "Can't you talk?" "You're beautiful for a slave." " What is your name?" " Barbara." "Let me go." "I hope to see you again, slave." "Here, saul." "Father..." " Father?" " tell me something." "What are those metal poles that you are having made for?" " To protect the house from lightning." " Is that so?" "Yes." "The gods must be punishing me by giving me a daughter like you." "Tonight there will be a banquet in honour of Prefect Marcianus." " The Emperor sent him here." " You will be appointed soon." "What is it?" "Are you not happy?" "I have the impression..." "that the Emperor is sending Marcianus to test my loyalty to Rome." "No one is more loyal than you to Rome and its laws." "Can JuIiana come to the banquet?" "You want a slave to sit at the same table as the prefect?" " JuIiana is my friend." " She is not your equal." "She cannot lead the same life as you and you cannot take her to school." "She is much more intelligent than the others." "As you wish, father." " Barbara..." " Yes, father?" "You are a good daughter, a father couldn't wish for more." "Make way for Prefect Marcianus!" "May the gods bless your stay in my house, prefect." "Rome salutes you, Dioscorus, and I embrace you as a brother." "May I congratulate you on your successes?" "Soon there will be more thanks to my commander, Lieutenant CIaudius." "I had to wrench him away from the border war to have him." "He's a great Iegionary like his father, who fell in battle." "The tribune, Gaius Aurus." "welcome." "I will give order to accommodate the soldiers, come." "Soon the Emperor will communicate his decision," "I think he will appoint you as his advisor." "I will try to carry out my duty with the dignity it requires." "These are difficult times," "Rome is full of petty politicians who plot behind the Emperor's back." "Some of them should be burnt alive, Iike Christians." "The Emperor needs honest and loyal men." "Even if he does not choose me, my loyalty will always be absolute." "Even to the detriment of your personal fortune?" "Nothing is more important than the greatness of Rome and its laws, not being senator, nor being prefect." "This evening there will be a banquet in your honour." "So I will meet your beautiful and cultured daughter." " What is it?" " I met a man earlier." "What man?" "A soldier." "You're beautiful." "They were my mother's." "I wonder if I Iook like her." " Where is Barbara?" " Looking at the stars, knowing her." "She's beautiful..." "Take off those earrings, they're not suitable for your age." "Come, take my arm." "This is my daughter Barbara." "The gods have been generous with you," "I have heard you enjoy studying, too." "She is a good daughter, intelligent, honest and loyal." "In Rome women think about their appearance and marriage." "Isn't that so, CIaudius?" "With your beauty, you could have any husband you desire in Rome." "I am certain my father will choose the best man for me." "Come, other guests want to meet you." "Excuse us." "So you are not a slave." "Are you disappointed?" "It would have been simpler if you had been." " simpler for what?" " To get to know you." "Now I know you are Dioscorus' daughter, it will be more difficult." "I'm sorry, I have to go." " Are you lost?" " Look who it is." "Were you looking for me?" "I won't hurt you, don't worry." "What a nice necklace..." "don't be afraid." " What do you want?" " Nothing." "Just a kiss, concede us that." "Don't be afraid..." "Run!" "Are you all right?" "You are wounded." "They must have been slaves who escaped from prison." " That's why they had that mark?" " Yes." "Why are you here?" "What are those poles?" " They capture lightning." " What?" "salomon's temple has never been struck by lightning." "So?" "I think the metal points on the top protect it." "Is your dream to capture lightning?" "Don't you have a dream?" "We'd better go." "Barbara, where have you been?" "I was on the beach, I was nearly robbed..." "and CIaudius saved me." "Go to your room." "Thank you for what you did." "tell me, what happened?" "I'm breathless..." "and my heart is still beating fast." " Did he kiss you?" " No!" "Come here." "Is this what you feel when you're in love?" "Where are the earrings?" "My father took them, I think they remind him of my mother too much." "Even though he never talks about her he must have really loved her." "Sometimes I wonder where my mother could be now." "What a stupid question, eh?" "hold your gIadius high and eyes open, in battle you'd be dead." "Next time I will slit your throat." "Being away from battle has made you grow soft." "In battle I have the advantage of looking my enemy in the face." "Do you Iike this provincial girl?" "I just want to fight again." "Let us finish with these Christians, then you'II be repaid by the Emperor." "I should ask to marry Dioscorus's daughter, being related to the Emperor's advisor could be useful." "You're not interested anyway, are you?" "Prefect Marcianus..." " Everything's ready for the ritual." " Good, go." "ToIomeus places earth at the centre of a spherical universe." "The skies are solid layers and between them are the planets." " Ending with "the fixed stars"." " What's beyond the fixed stars?" "Who knows the answer to that?" "The fixed stars are the limit beyond which nothing exists," " except for God." " Which God, of all the ones we have?" " DiocIetian, he thinks he's God!" " Crius!" "What are you saying?" "You are disrespecting the Emperor." "Prefect Marcianus summons you all to the forum." "You may go." "Master, what is it?" "I hope Marcianus leaves sooner rather than later." "He's a man with no morality, especially since he's had free rein with the Christians." "We have nothing to fear." "I can't stand being here, what's the point of all this?" "The priest will sacrifice some incense, then we'II go, don't worry." "hall!" "The Emperor wishes that the people publicly take part in the sacrifice and that everyone proves their loyalty to Roman traditions and to the imperial power." "Therefore nobody will leave the forum until their sacrifice is over." "Do I have your consent, senator?" "May the Emperor's wish be followed." "glory to Jupiter and to the Gods." "I, Quintus Leporus Sannius, Roman citizen, accept and submit to the Emperor's authority..." "but I refuse the sacrifice." " That man is a Christian." " You thought no one here was?" "Crius, FIavius..." "JuIiana!" "JuIiana, what are you doing?" "We also refuse the sacrifice." "Send them to the underground prison." "They will have one night and day to change their minds, then they will be killed as prescribed by the Iaw of Rome." " Father, do not allow this." " Be quiet!" "Take them away!" " How are you?" " Fine." " You were good at lying." " And you too." "You spoke of literature, physics..." "but you kept a great secret." "Barbara, your father is Dioscorus." "I didn't want to create problems between you and your father." "I am not my father, I am your friend." " I am your slave." " You must make that sacrifice." " We cannot." " It's just incense in a brazier." "For us it means renouncing our faith in Christ and committing perjury." "How can Christ ask you to throw away your lives for such a thing?" "I will not allow it, juliana." "Father, why did you have them arrested?" "Free them!" "Leave us alone." "They only refused to burn some incense, this is absurd!" "Are you saying that worshipping our emperor is absurd?" "I think arresting someone who has done nothing is absurd." "If they acknowledge the Emperor's divine nature, they'II be freed." " They don't want to." " Too bad for them." " But they'II die." " It will be their choice." " Father..." " Enough!" " Christians are enemies of the State." " They are my friends." "Leave." "No, juliana is my friend." "Do to me what you will allow to be done to her." "What are you saying?" "Do you wish to be arrested like your Christian slave?" " I won't let her die." " Lieutenant, arrest her too." "Why are you risking your life?" "You are not one of them." "JuIiana is like a sister, whether she is a Christian or not." " What harm has she done?" " It's the Iaw, the Iaw of Rome." "What purpose does this law serve?" "Your courage surprises me, but try to persuade them or tomorrow Marcianus will kill them." "Barbara, why are you here?" "Dioscorus, you will be accused of misruIing." "You may not be appointed." "Free my daughter." "You have allowed Christianity to proliferate among your people." "And even worse, in your house." " There will be consequences." " I will face them." "Barbara is just a sensitive girl who wanted to protect her friend." "A night in prison will help her to reflect." " Barbara is not a Christian." " Are you sure?" "She lived for years with that slave, in that school." "What do they teach at that school?" "You encouraged the relationship between Barbara and that slave." "You allowed her to bring her to your school." "You swore you would keep them away from my daughter!" " I kept my promise." " How?" "How, if there are two Christians at your school too?" "What did you talk about?" "What did you teach her?" "To seek the truth." " You speak like one of them." " Be careful, Dioscorus." "You risk losing your daughter, Iike you lost your wife." "Nothing can change my relationship with my daughter." "It will change, if you keep following the laws of Rome." "You already made that mistake once and Barbara is more similar to her mother than you think." "You dared to speak to her about her mother?" "You failed in your mission..." "maestro." "I was happier recently, you saw that." " I thought it was because of Livius." " Of course, that too." "But the certainty that God gave his life for us and loves us, gave me enormous freedom." "What freedom?" "This God will have you killed." "Make that stupid sacrifice, all Gods are the same." "I too look at the sky sometimes and I feel so small beneath those stars and God." "Yet..." "if I Iook at the stars, created by you, along with the moon and the stars, what is man?" "Why do you think of them?" "Why do you care?" "Yet you have done so, as much as the angels, you have crowned man with glory and honour." "But what about Livius?" "Aren't you afraid of losing him?" " Of course I am." " So make that sacrifice." "would you marry a man..." "when you have given your heart to another who loves you infinitely?" "If this God loves you so much, how can he ask you to die?" "Death isn't the end of everything." "You often wonder where your mother is, she's in the heavens you love so much." "Barbara..." "your father wants to see you." " How are you?" " You've freed me, but JuIiana?" " After the sacrifice, she'II be free." " I wasn't able to persuade her." "Father, please." "Don't have her killed, if you love me." "I see the night has not brought you counsel." "Everyone must respect the laws, even your friend JuIiana." "But she's been with us since she was a child..." "Barbara, enough!" "You have already put me in serious trouble." "I don't recognise you anymore." "It's me who doesn't recognise you anymore." "Where are you going?" "We haven't finished." "Barbara!" " How's Livius?" "And JuIiana?" " What will they do to them?" "They're fine, I promise you nothing will happen to them." " Where's Maestro PoIicarpus?" " Your father banished him." "You, get to work!" "Mistress!" "The prefect Marcianus' soldiers did this." "What will they do to us?" "Are you afraid?" "Prefect, I must ask you something." "Your beauty makes it hard for me to refuse." "I ask you to spare the lives of the Christians of this community." "I thought you wanted to thank me for freeing you." "You freed me, why can't you free them too?" "You should worry more about your father, not them." "What's my father got to do with it?" "He hasn't shown himself to be worthy, he may lose the Emperor's respect, his political position and maybe even his house." "unless..." "I can help him." "Leave me alone." "What is it?" "Dioscorus has ordered that all houses be searched for Christians." "Good." "Senator, we haven't found anyone yet." "Barbara..." "Did Marcianus hurt you?" "JuIiana and the others will die, they have done nothing wrong." "Carrying out this search was a good initiative," "I just hope no one finds out that those Christians were at your house." " You doubt my loyalty to Rome?" " Of course not." "But there are Christians among your people and your daughter chose to be imprisoned with them." "One can faII into disgrace for much less." "You give the order for the executions." "One a day, for the prisoners that will be worse than torture." "Start with that slave, juliana, your daughter's friend, so they cannot accuse you of being their supporter, I'II protect you." "Thank you, but I don't need your protection." "Not even when I will be Barbara's husband?" "I wanted to ask for her hand, an alliance between our families would be advantageous for us both when you are in Rome." "I would never impose a husband on her, I raised her as a free woman." "Free and rebellious, Iike her mother." "What do you mean by that?" "I am your friend, I just want to protect you and your daughter." "She asked me again to help those Christians." "By the way she behaves, she seems to be one of them." " She will never be a Christian." " I know..." "or I wouldn't ask to marry her." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I hoped in Marcianus' mercy seeing you have none." "You are mad." "He thinks you're a Christian." "He wants to marry you to test my loyalty to the Emperor." " please, don't allow him to do that." " I have no intention of allowing it." "But you have to help me." "Stop protecting those Christians." "I'm sorry, I just wanted to save JuIiana." " AII she did was believe in..." " Do not be so insolent!" "The Christians will never be my friends." "You don't know them, our greatest tragedy is their fault." "Meaning?" "Your mother died because she became one of them." "You and the maestro always said she died of an illness." "I told him not to tell you the truth." "We lied to you because you were just a child, I'm sorry." "Your mother left because she had become a Christian and years later, she died with them." "She abandoned you, coerced by those people you defend so strongly!" "Marcianus wants you." "CIaudius, my friend!" "Come, share a toast with me." "To my marriage." "Today I asked Dioscorus for his daughter's hand in marriage." "Aren't you happy for me?" "Remember that you owe me loyalty, CIaudius." "Your duty as a soldier is to obey me." " Maestro." " Barbara!" "I was hoping to see you again." "Why didn't you tell me my mother was a Christian?" " That's why she abandoned me." " How did you find out?" "Why so many lies?" "I'm a bad teacher." "I preached the truth and I was the first to deny it to you, but now I must make amends." " It's time for you to know." " Know what?" "Go to our library and open the blue sphere." " You'II find your mother's things." " My mother's?" "She told me to give them to you when she died in the Iazar house." "My mother died in a Iazar house?" "Maestro PoIicarpus, you have to come with us." " What are you doing?" " following Senator Dioscorus' orders." "Barbara, keep on searching for the truth." "always." " We will start with you." " My God, may your will be done." "Soon, I too will be with you." "Come." "Protect me, my God, I seek refuge in you." "You are my Lord, without you I have nothing." "Let others create idols, I will not pour out their libations of blood..." " It's Barbara's slave." " Yes, juliana." "acknowledge the Emperor's divine nature." "The Emperor is a man." "Carry out the execution." " Our Father, who art in heaven..." " Stop!" ". . hallowed be thy name." "Your kingdom come..." " Thy will be done..." " On earth as it is in heaven..." "Lieutenant CIaudius, yours is the honour of the first execution." " No!" " Barbara, sit down!" "Do something!" "please, don't do it." "CIaudius, you refuse to follow orders?" "Remember that you must obey myself and your emperor." "kill her." "I am a soldier, not a murderer." "You will be subjected to martial law." "Arrest him!" "Our Father, who art in heaven..." "Proceed." "Father, no..." "You have to go back to being an obedient daughter, Barbara, or what happened to your friend may happen to you too." "Together we will manage, you'II see." "We'II forget about this sad story and go back to being united." "I'm not Iike you, I don't want to be anymore." "You're my daughter and you'II do as I say, you'II marry Marcianus." "I'm sorry, but your behaviour leaves me no other option." "I taught you to be free, but you misuse your freedom." "I will not marry a man who kills innocent people." "Do you still defend them?" "Their fanaticism is a threat for the empire, they deserve to die." "Did my mother deserve to die too?" "You will stay here until you come to your senses." "I am your father, you belong to me." "Don't ever forget that." "saul, stay here and don't let her out for any reason whatsoever." "Mistress Barbara..." "your father ordered me not to let you out." "Let me go, I have to save Livius and the others." " Your father..." " My father is wrong." "I cannot let them die." "They are your friends too." "I can help you." "The trap door is down there, at the end of the corridor." "I'm Dioscorus' daughter, I'm here on my father's orders." "Down at the end." " Open up and leave us alone." " I can't." " Barbara..." " Do you know who I am?" "I'm just delivering some bread, lock the door while I'm inside." "Why are you here?" " Have they brought a soldier here?" " No." "Livius, how are you?" "I'm ready to die." "No one else must die." "along the corridor, there's a trap door which leads outside." "How will we reach it?" "Fire, open up!" "Fire!" "Open up!" "What's going on?" "Open up!" "What's happening?" "CIaudius!" "Livius, help me!" "Hurry, there's no time." "Here's the trap door." "help me." " Go down." " The prisoners have escaped!" " Don't let them get away!" " That way!" "Livius!" " Watch out!" " Go!" " Where's CIaudius?" " I don't think he made it." "I'm here." "It was started on purpose, they can't have disappeared." " There's a passage down there." " You go that way and you go this way." "Hurry!" " Why did you open the cell?" " Your daughter told me to." "My daughter?" "That's impossible, my daughter is in her room, I'm certain." "Barbara..." "It seems your daughter has escaped." "CIaudius has escaped too." "Prepare the soldiers." "We need to hurry, the soldiers will be coming." "Lie down, please." "We don't have time." "Here they are, Iet's go." "That must be the exit." "Why are you here?" "Move it, capture them!" "Come on, go!" "To the horses!" "Come on, Iet's go!" "Let's go." "His fever's worsening, what shall we do?" "I'II stay with him, you get some sleep." "You can't stay here, the soldiers will find you at dawn." "Go, leave me here." "I'm not going anywhere without you." "Listen, you must go back." "Your father will forgive you." "If you stay here, you'II lose everything." "I'II lose nothing, my Iife has just been a lie." "Barbara, it's dawn." "He's breathing." "It was my mother's, she was a Christian like you." "I need to talk to you." "Livius..." "help me." "We must separate, we'II stand a better chance." " No, you've done so much for us." " What will you do?" "I'II stay with CIaudius, until he gets better." " They'II find you." " Maybe, but I'm Dioscorus' daughter and he's Marcianus' Iieutenant, the soldiers won't hurt us." "May God be with you." "What about you?" "I'm staying with you and I won't change my mind." "It's the only way to give you a chance too." "We'II go to MarceIIino, CIaudius will be looked after there." " Who is MarceIIino?" " Our bishop, he's in hiding nearby." " It's dangerous for you." " It's what JuIiana would have wanted." "May this be a lesson to you." "Now go back to your duties." " Have you found her?" " No, Dioscorus." "When you do, bring her to me, not to Marcianus." "I'II reward you." "Go!" " We're here." " Is your bishop hiding here?" "Yes." " Livius!" "May Christ be with you." " MarceIIino, thank you." " They're friends, we need to hide." " What happened to him?" " He's badly wounded." " This is Barbara, Dioscorus' daughter." " We escaped from her father." " Barbara, welcome." "Titus, go and call Marcus, the doctor." "Come in, you'II be safe here." "Put him over there." "Last time you came with JuIiana." "JuIiana was killed." "She didn't want to renounce Christ." "please, don't die." "You are all I have left." " He's delirious, it's the fever." " Are you a doctor?" "Yes." "will he die?" "Barbara..." "Don't cry..." "Are you hungry?" "Where are their parents?" "The soldiers took them away, they have no one left." " How long have you lived like this?" " A few months." "Titus took us in, the soldiers don't know they're Christians." "And they don't know that these old cemeteries are down here." "The first Christian communities sought refuge here..." "we hoped we wouldn't have to come back, but..." "There are soldiers everywhere outside." " You're safe here." " We'II be safer without them." " What are you saying?" " They're not part of our community." "They're our brothers." "We believe in you, God who loves men." "We show you our weakness praying for you to be our strength." "Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sinned against us." "And make new men of us." " What are you doing?" " I've brought water for your friend." "Why do you look at me and smile?" "What is it?" " The baby..." " Let me help you." "It's being born." "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy Ghost." " Prefect Marcianus." " How is it possible..." "that after all this time you have found no trace at all?" " We found two of them." " I want her and I want CIaudius!" "Go." "We have to admit your daughter knows what she's doing." "AII these days without water, or food..." "someone is helping them." "How is he?" " Do you have a daughter too?" " No, Luca is our first child." "We prayed so much to have him." "Don't cry." "Everything will be all right, you'II see." "I've lost everything now." "JuIiana, my father, my teacher..." "and now CIaudius too." "CIaudius will recover, you mustn't lose hope." "Your mother never did when she looked after me." " You knew my mother?" " Yes, you look just like her." "You're beautiful like she was." "I'm from Nicomedia, Iike you." "A typhoid epidemic struck many Christian families, Iike mine." "We were confined to a Iazar house, condemned to die of hunger." "My parents died straight away, then I became ill too." "What did my mother have to do with that?" "Your mother helped us Christians." "Some of us became ill, then we realised it was an epidemic but she had mercy on me." "Just as Jesus taught us, to love is to sacrifice oneself." " But she abandoned me." " No." "She wanted to come back to you but she wasn't allowed to." "By who?" " By your father." " So my father let her die?" "He gave orders that whoever entered the Iazar house must remain there, maybe he had no choice." "Of course..." "for a man of State like him the Iaw makes no exception, not for his daughter or for his wife." "please, tell me more about her." "I don't even remember her face." "When she smiled, her eyes lit up, just like yours do." "She liked looking at the heavens." "What's beyond the stars, in the heavens?" "There's a father who loves us and who never abandons us." "Lord, lead us not into temptation." "Brothers, Iet us unite in prayer as Jesus taught us." "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." "Give us our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." "This is my body, offered in sacrifice for you." "Take it and eat it." "CIaudius is not well." " What's wrong?" " His fever has returned." "The wound must be infected." "I don't know if he'II make it till tomorrow." "I'm sorry." "I can't lose him too." "please." "If you really did create the moon and the stars, if you are so great, if you love us more than any other thing, save him, take care of him." "Don't take him away from me..." "I beg you." "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..." "Keep searching for the truth, always." "Can't you sleep?" "You can't stay here, it's dangerous." "I prayed to your God earlier." "I don't even know who he is." "I don't even know why I did it." "You did it out of love." "Yes, for the love you feel for CIaudius too." "For that love which bears the name of our God who sacrificed his son to save us and to take care of us." "If this God loves us so much, why did he let my mother die - and juliana too, just because she refused to burn some incense?" "What did they sacrifice their lives for?" "For nothing." "If you were a lawyer at the forum, would you hide the truth if it wouId save someone?" "If you were a doctor, would you refuse to treat the dying?" "That is why we don't renounce our faith." "Our faith is the truth, it heals." " There is no cure for death." " You're wrong, Barbara." "Your mother, juliana and all of us, we'II resurrect after death." "Our Christ resurrected and He promised us we would do too." "There are mysteries we must believe in order to understand," "like when we dive into water, certain it will open beneath us." "Barbara..." "You're alive!" "The fever has completely gone." "Don't move, the wound may open up." "Where are we?" "Who are these people?" "They're Christians, it's MarceIIino's community." " We have to leave this place." " They're good people." "He's the doctor who treated you, you were dying." "Did he make me better?" "You're beautiful." "Do you believe in God, almighty Father?" "I do." "I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy Ghost." "Five, six and seven, the Ursa Minor, has seven large stars." "The last one is the brightest and is called polaris." " We're seeking a woman and a soldier." " We haven't seen anyone." " Are you sure?" " Yes, we are." "Death faces those who hide fugitives." "tell me the truth or I'II slit his throat." "No, leave him!" " Leave him." " We don't know anything." "We've seen no one." "Leave him, please." "Leave him..." "He is our only son." "please!" "Out." " Is this what you were looking for?" " I don't know." "But here I have found something that was already in my heart." "So why are you sad?" "When we were on the beach, you asked me if I had a dream." "Before I met you I dreamed only of returning to the battlefield, but now..." "By next week I'II be better and I'II be able to walk." "We can go to Liberia, I have friends there." "The land is fertile, we could cultivate wheat..." "and vines..." "and be free, far away from your father and Marcianus." "Maybe you imagined a better life than just cultivating land..." "Promise me something, CIaudius:" "that you'II always live as a free man." "I'm Dioscorus' daughter." "Go." "Thank you for your loyalty." "Father..." "let me embrace you." "I know you are angry and I ask you for forgiveness, but I've discovered an important thing." "My mother didn't abandon us." "She just wanted to save innocent lives." "I know because I made the same choice;" "I Ieft someone even though I Ioved them." "You speak like one of them." "You've become one of them." "Yes, father." "Why are you doing this to me, Barbara?" "Have you gone mad?" "You're risking your life." "You have to renounce this absurd faith of yours immediately." "No, father." "You belong to me and you will do as I say." "I will not let you make the mistake your mother made." "She let herself die because of the Christians!" "That's not true..." "It wasn't their fault she died." "What do you mean?" "I know you forbid her to return home from the Iazar house." "That's why she died." "But I'm certain that she loved you..." "She loved those bastard Christians more, she wanted to enter the Iazar house, I had nothing to do with it." "It wasn't my fault, she betrayed me!" "She betrayed me and the laws of Rome just like you're doing now!" "Why?" "You will obey me." "You'II leave tonight." "You will leave here." "I'II tell Marcianus you're dead, so he won't look for you." "Now you'II come with me." "Dioscorus..." "You found your daughter." "You were bringing her to me, I imagine." "Once you've been washed, you'II be more beautiful than before." "I will never be your wife." "Your daughter is convinced I still want to marry her." "I wouldn't marry a woman like you..." "I give them to my soldiers to have fun with." "Did you ask your daughter where she's been all this time?" "So, Barbara..." "how were you able to stay away from home all this time?" "Who protected you?" "Was it the Christians?" " No, I lived in the woods." " You lived in the woods..." "I'II have you whipped, do you understand?" "Where are the Christians?" "Where are they?" "Barbara..." "Where are they hiding?" "talk!" "If I'd found refuge, I wouldn't have come back." "Your daughter is a Christian." "You know how the Emperor's enemies are punished, don't you?" "No, she's not a Christian." "Take her away." "Tomorrow she'II be sentenced to death!" "unless you renounce your God!" "Marcianus, no..." "You'rewrong." "Barbara is not a Christian." "Tomorrow we'II all have tender flesh to enjoy." "Tomorrow you will beg me to be kind with you." "What have they done to you?" "I beg you..." "Renounce your faith." "I can't." "I beg you." "If you don't want to do it for me, do it for yourself, for your life." "It's precisely for my Iife and soul that I cannot betray Christ." "Marcianus doesn't care about my faith, he wants me to report the others." "should I let women and children be killed to save my Iife?" "I'm certain that my mother has forgiven you." "Dear Lord," "If I Iook at the heavens that you have created, the moon and the stars, what is man?" "Why do you think of them?" "And the son of man, why do you care about him?" " Is Barbara with you?" " We thought she was with you." "When they see you, they'II arrest you." " In fact, they'II kill you!" " You'd have done this for JuIiana." "I beg you, Marcianus." "She is my only daughter." "Save her." "Are you asking me to go against the laws of Rome?" "I'm just asking you to have mercy." "Instead of begging me to save your daughter, you should beg me to save yourself." "I'II have to inform the Emperor, you risk losing your position." "I'm not interested in that." "Save my daughter." "I'm sorry, but I can't." "You said: "Nothing is worth more than the greatness of Rome and its laws, not being a senator, nor being a prefect."" "Rise, Dioscorus, I want you beside me today." "Gaius." "Renounce your faith and I will save your life." "Where are the Christians?" "Let's see if the whip will make you talk!" "Renounce your God!" "Renounce your God." "Renounce your faith!" "Our Father, who art in heaven..." "You will be flesh for my soldiers!" "They will treat you worse than a prostitute!" "Thy will be done..." "Stop!" "Legend says that Barbara's father was struck by lightning." "Barbara was proclaimed a saint by the Church and named as protector of sailors, fire-fighters and miners." "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven."