A CANDLELIT service to reflect on the life of a young Sicilian girl who died a martyr’s death in the 4th century is to be held for the first time in York Minster.

The feast of St Lucy, or Sankta Lucia, will be held at 7.30pm on December 19, as part of the cathedral’s Advent programme and will include a procession led by a young girl wearing a crown of candles.

The traditional Swedish service is an established feature in the December calendar of several other notable churches across the UK, including St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral and the Swedish Church in London.

According to the story of St Lucy contained in the Guilte Legende, a compendium of saints’ biographies from the Middle Ages, Lucy became a devout Christian after being visited by an angel.

When she was later threatened to renounce her faith or face death, her faith gave her the strength to resist the power of 1,000 men and 50 oxen who tried to drag her away.

The Reverend Canon Peter Moger, precentor of York Minster, said: “The Sankta Lucia service is, in many ways, the Swedish equivalent of our Advent Procession, and shares many similarities for those attending, who will see the cathedral gradually lit by candlelight as the service progresses.”

Admission is free and no booking is required.