Paraskevi of Rome was a second-century Christian martyr born near Rome to Greek parents. After renouncing her possessions to preach the faith, she traveled extensively to minister to various towns. Her devotion led to multiple arrests and various tortures, including being placed in a vessel of boiling oil and tar, yet she remained unharmed. She was eventually executed by beheading in Athens under the authority of the governor Tarasius after she destroyed idols in the Temple of Apollo.
Life and miracles
During her travels, Paraskevi performed several miracles that led to the conversion of her persecutors. She reportedly restored the sight of Emperor Antoninus Pius and killed a snake in a pit to save herself from a governor named Asclepius. These acts of wonderworking earned her a reputation for divine power, though they often resulted in further legal challenges and eventual martyrdom.
Veneration and legacy
She is widely honored as a healer of eye ailments and is frequently portrayed in iconography holding two eyeballs. Her feast day is observed on July 26. Traditions hold that her relics were moved to Constantinople, while local legends in Epirus claim her remains are located at a monastery where she supposedly left handprints on a stone pillar.