Paraskeva of the Balkans

Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans
Icon of St Petka, Klisura Monastery, Bulgaria
Venerable
Born	Epivates (modern-day Selimpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey)
Died	11th century Kallikrateia (modern-day Greece)
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi, Romania; Church of St Paraskeva, Nesebar
Feast	14 October 27 October
Patronage	embroiderers, needle workers, spinners, weavers[1]

Paraskeva of the Balkans^[a] was an ascetic female saint of the 11th century. She was born in Epivates, near present-day Istanbul, and had visions of the Virgin Mary. After living in Chalcedon and Heraclea Pontica, she settled in a convent in the desert near the Jordan River. An angel told her to return to her homeland, and two years later she died at the age of 27. The cult of Saint Paraskeva began to spread in the 14th century from Bulgaria into the Danubian Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. There was confusion over her identity and attributes because her Greek name Παρασκευή "Paraskeuḗ, Paraskevi" means "Friday," and translations in other languages, such as Romanian and Serbian, were "Saint Friday". Her cult continues to be celebrated in many Orthodox countries, and her feast day is commemorated on October 14 in the Eastern Orthodox Church.^[2]

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