Catholic saint biography

St. Barbara Yi

Lived:
d. 1839 — Korea

A Catholic liturgical calendar date has not yet been verified for this entry. Execution dates are not treated as feast days; a shared celebration requires a scoped calendar citation.

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AI-generated artistic interpretation of Saint Barbara Yi
AI-generated illustration · Artistic interpretation by Saint Discovery.

Biography

Barbara Yi was an orphan from Seoul who lived with her aunts, Magdalene Yi Yong-hui and Barbara Yi Chong-hui. The Korean bishops' account describes her as a young teenager at the time of her arrest. She continued to profess her faith when questioned and tortured by the authorities.

A judge returned her to police custody because of her youth. In prison she and other young detainees encouraged one another, but she contracted typhoid fever in the crowded conditions and died in 1839. She is a separate person from her aunt Barbara Yi Chong-hui, who was executed later that year.

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What will you carry with you?

After reading about St. Barbara Yi, take a moment to consider:

  1. Which event or decision in this life stood out to you?
  2. What virtue would you like to understand or practice more deeply?
  3. What small action could you take today in response?

These are reflection prompts from Saint Discovery, not quotations from the saint.

Sources and further reading

Biography source comparison recorded on . This is an AI-assisted comparison, not independent human or ecclesiastical approval.

What the recorded review covers

Individual Catholic institutional source review; original concise factual summary. Compared canonical and source name variants, family relationships and death details against 486 legacy records and all 21 prior additions (447 published records). CBCK individual 16 is a distinct person, not either existing Korean saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon or Paul Chong Ha-sang.

A source list helps you check an account; it does not establish that every claim is certain. Follow the biography’s qualifications about historical evidence, traditions and feast calendars.

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