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Second-century great martyr , invoked to cure blindness and other ailments. By tradition Paraskeve was born in rome to Christian parents, Agatho and Politeia. Arrested and tortured for preaching Christianity, she escaped to Greece to continue her mission. Accounts of her martyrdom differ; one Greek tradition has Paraskeve arrested at Tempe and executed outside Thessaloniki. Acherousia monastery in Thesprotia, Epirus, holds the reputed tomb of the saint; her relics were taken to constantinople in the Byzantine era. Her feast day is 26 July. Alongside Paraskeve the Roman are honoured Paraskeve of Ikonion (third century) and Paraskeve of Epibatas (1023–57). The former was martyred in Lykaonia under Diocletian and is commemorated on 28 October; the latter, a hermit, is commemorated on 14 October. Paraskeve of Epibatas is revered throughout the Balkans since her relics were taken to Trnovo in Bulgaria in the thirteenth century, to Romania and then to Serbia in the fourteenth century and finally back to Romania in 1641. Known as Petko, she is claimed by the Serbs to be of Serbian descent. Her tomb in Kallikratia (Catalca) of Eastern thrace was a pilgrimage centre until 1922; one in Nea Kallikratia in Greece draws pilgrims to this day. ( 1985 ), The Prologue of Ochrid , vols 3 and 4 . Birmingham : Lazarica Press . ... log in or subscribe to read full text