Golden Legend: Saint Eugenia

Saint Euday.Saint Eugenia's feast day comes on Christmas Day, December 25; you can read more about her at Wikipedia: Saint Eugenia. Eugenia is yet another one of the women in the Golden Legend who decides to clothe herself as a man and join a monastery. She is accused of adultery and sentenced to death, and the judge is her own father. It's a short story, but a very dramatic one nonetheless!

[Notes by LKG]

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This story is part of the Women Saints unit. Story source: The Golden Legend edited by F. S. Ellis (1900).

(11th-century illustration)

Here beginneth the Life of S. Eugenia

Eugenia, the noble virgin, which was daughter to Philip, duke of Alexandria, which for the emperor of Rome governed all the land of Egypt. Eugenia issued privily out of her father's palace with two servants, and she went into an abbey in the habit and array of a man, in which abbey she led so holy a life that at the last she was made abbot of the same.

It happed so that no man knew that she was a woman, yet there was a lady accused her of adultery tofore the judge which was her own father. Eugenia was put in prison for to be judged to death.

At the last she said to her father much thing for to draw him to the faith of Jesu Christ. She rent her coat and showed to him that she was a woman and daughter of him that held her in prison, and so she converted her father unto the christian faith.

And he was after an holy bishop, and at the hour that he sang his mass he was beheaded for the faith of Jesu Christ; and the lady that had falsely accused Eugenia was burnt with fire of hell with all her party.

And after that, Claudia and her children came to Rome, and much people were by them converted, and many virgins by Eugenia, which Eugenia was much tormented in divers manners, and at the last by the sword accomplished her martyrdom, and thus made the offering of her proper body to our Lord Jesu Christ, qui est benedictus in secula seculorum (who is blessed unto the ages of ages). Amen.

(Orthodox icon)

(300 words)