By Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria
Our Church commemorates today Venerable Paraskeva of Epibatima, who came from Epivates, near Silivri in Eastern Thrace. From a young age, she began to distribute her belongings to the needy. When she grew up, she went to Constantinople to venerate the relics of the Saints.
She left for Heraclea Pontica, where she supervised a temple for five years. She then travelled to the Holy Land and settled in a women’s monastery where she practised in virtue for several years.
She returned to Constantinople and then she went to Kallikrateia in southeastern Thrace, where she remained for two years in the Church of the Holy Apostles and fell asleep to the Lord.
Bishop Evtimiy of Trnovo (1332-1402) wrote the biography of Saint Paraskeva. Her memory is especially celebrated in Iasi, Romania, where her relics are kept.
Source: Church of Cyprus