Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria     • Euphrosyna   • Smaragdus
Daughter of Paphnutius, a rich citizen of Alexandria, Egypt,
born in her parents’ old age due to the prayers of a monk who
was a friend of the family. When she was grown, her family
arranged a marriage for her to wealthy young noble, but she
preferred religious life. While her father was on a retreat,
Euphrosyne gave away her possessions, then became a nun and
spiritual student of the monk who had prayed for her birth. To
hide from her family, she wore men’s clothes, and became a monk,
using the name Smaragdus. She became famous for her holiness and
wisdom, and became a spiritual teacher of her father, who did
not recognize her. On her deathbed she revealed her true
identity to her father who then became a monk, and lived in her
cell the remaining ten years of his life.  Modern scholarship
indicates this was probably pious fiction that was mistaken for
history, and that Saint Euphrosyne never existed.     Additional
Information  MLA Citation