Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria

Now, Euphrosyne being 18 years old, her father took her to the abbot to whose prayers he owed the birth of his daughter and said to him: Here is she whom you obtained for me from God through your prayers; please pray for her now, for I am going to marry her off. Then the holy abbot blessed her and spoke to her at length about the duties of virginity, as well as those of marriage. They stayed three days at the convent, during which Euphrosyne had plenty of time to see the monks' way of life up close. She saw all this with great pleasure, and she said to herself: Happy are those who can thus, here below, lead an angelic life, and who, after temporal death, can hope for eternal life! And her heart swore eternal love to the Lord. Taking leave of the abbot, she threw herself at his feet, saying: I beseech you, pray for me, so that I may recognize the will of God and that my soul may be saved! The Saint blessed her, saying: May the almighty God, who knows all things, the past, the present, and the future, bless you and always keep you in his holy care, and may he one day admit you into the society of the blessed.

The abbot was accustomed, each year, to invite Paphnutius (Euphrosyne's father) to the monastery's feast day. Now, one day, a brother came as usual to fulfill this mission. Paphnutius not being at home, the brother was received by Euphrosyne, who said to him: My brother, how many religious are you in the convent? — The brother replied: We are three hundred and twenty-two. — Euphrosyne continued: Does your abbot admit all those who present themselves to share your holy life? — He said: Yes; for he observes the word of Christ: I do not reject those who come to me. — She asked again: Do you all sing together in the same church? and do you all fast together? — The brother replied: We all sing together; but each fasts as he sees fit. — After having questioned the brother at length, and having learned from him everything she wanted to know, she finally said: I would be very happy to be able, like you, to live only for God; but I would fear distressing my father, who wants to marry me to a rich man, because of the goods of this world. Then the monk instructed her on how she could preserve her virginity and consecrate her heart to the Savior, and she was delighted.

However, Euphrosyne did not yet consider herself sufficiently instructed. She therefore went to find another monk, and said to him: Reverend father, my father is rich and pious, but my mother is dead; my father, to prevent his goods from falling one day into other hands, wants to marry me off. Now, I have resolved to know no man, and I spent last night in prayer, without sleeping, praying to God to enlighten me on this subject and to have mercy on me, and now I come to ask you to tell me what I must do to save my soul. — The monk said to her: The Savior said: He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. That is all I have to say to you. If therefore you wish to be saved, flee! As for your father's goods, do not be troubled: there are hospitals, convents, and thousands of wretches in the world; let your father give them his lands and his gold, and he will not lack heirs. Euphrosyne said: I have always thought that with the grace of God I would eventually find the means to preserve my chastity, and to glorify him through a holy life. — The monk replied: I hope that God will soon help you to fulfill your vows, and that nothing in the world will be able to prevent you from consecrating yourself entirely to him.

Thereupon Euphrosyne began to reflect maturely, and she said to herself: If I go to a women's convent, my father will find me and take me out of it, to marry me off. I want therefore to go to a men's convent; for surely my father will not go looking for me there. — Then she put on men's clothing, secretly left her father's house, and went to hide in a place sheltered from indiscreet eyes, until the next morning. At dawn, she entered the first church she came to in order to pray there. Then she went to the convent where she had been with her father, and while the porter went to notify the abbot, she waited in front of the door. The abbot, upon seeing her, thought he had a young man before him; he therefore said to her: My son, why have you come? — She replied: Since my childhood I have always strongly wished to enter a convent, to serve God there as you do. Now I will stay with you, if you are willing. — The abbot replied: You are welcome! Come see our convent; if it suits you, you may stay there. What is your name? — She replied: My name is Smaragdus (which means Emerald). The abbot replied: You are still very young, and it is not good for you to be alone: I will therefore give you a mas ter who Smaragde Virgin of Alexandria who lived disguised as a monk under the name Smaragdus. will teach you the rule and instruct you in everything you will have to do. — Euphrosyne (or Emerald) replied: My father, I am ready to do everything you order me. — Then the abbot brought a holy religious, named Agapitus, and said to him: I entrust to you this young man, who is named Emerald; treat him as your son: I wish for you to train him so well that he soon surpasses his maste Agapit Eldest son of Saint Eustace. r. — Then all three knelt down, and the abbot prayed for Emerald; and when he had finished, the other two said Amen.

Now, Smaragdus was very beautiful; and when he was in church with the religious, and they saw his tender and graceful face, the demon tempted them. They complained to the abbot: Why, they said to him, have you tempted us by introducing into the convent a young man of such great beauty? The abbot therefore said to Smaragdus: Child, your face is so beautiful that I fear it may be a stumbling block for those of our brothers who are weak; you shall therefore henceforth live alone in a cell. Smaragdus was very happy about this. A separate cell was made for him, where he lived in absolute retreat, serving God day and night through prayer, fasting, vigils, and all kinds of good works. In a short time his holiness was so great that Brother Agapitus, who directed him, could not help but speak of it with astonishment to the other brothers, and all together they praised God for having given so much virtue to a weak child.

Paphnutius, upon returning home, went to look for his daughter in her room; and as he did not find her there, he gathered his servants and asked them if they knew where she was. They replied: We saw her yesterday, but today we have not yet seen her. — Paphnutius, deeply afflicted, had her sought at her fiancé's house; she was not there. Furthermore, the latter, having learned what was happening, was also very distressed, as was his father, and both went together to Paphnutius. They found him a prey to the deepest despair; they said to him: Perhaps she has been abducted by a seducer. Then he immediately sent messengers, with orders to search for her in Alexandria and throughout all of Egypt; but all the searches were fruitless. It was the same for the searches made in the women's convents. After having searched for her for a long time in all the houses of the city, they conducted sweeps in the caves and in the forests; but always in vain.

Then all together: the father, the father-in-law, and the fiancé, wept for her as if she were dead. The father poured out his bitter complaints in these terms: "O my daughter, my beloved daughter! Light of my eyes, joy and consolation of my life, what misfortune has taken you from my tenderness; my only treasure in this world, my only hope, who has taken you from my heart?... Lord, do not allow me to die before seeing her again with my own eyes, before knowing what has become of her!" And seeing him thus weeping and lamenting, all those who were witnesses to his sorrow wept with him. And being unable to be consoled by anyone, he went to the convent where, unbeknownst to him, his daughter was; he threw himself at the feet of the abbot and said to him: I beseech you, pray for me day and night, until I experience the fruit of your prayers, and until I finally learn what has become of my daughter. The abbot, having heard this sad news, also wept with him; then he gathered the brothers and said to them: Let us all pray to God together, that He may have pity on our brother Paphnutius, and that He may return his daughter to him. — And they spent seven days praying and fasting; but contrary to what had often happened in such circumstances, no revelation was made, and their prayers remained without result. For, on her side, Euphrosyne prayed to God incessantly not to reveal her retreat. Then Paphnutius went to the abbot who said to him: Dear friend, do not be afflicted because of this misfortune; for God chastises those whom He loves. Moreover, without His will, no one experiences any evil: be therefore assured that nothing will happen to your daughter except what God permits. Have therefore confidence in God, and believe that one day He will return her to you.

Paphnutius returned to his house, his heart content, and thanking God; and he applied himself more than ever to almsgiving and other good works. But, some time later, he came again to ask the abbot for advice and consolation, and he threw himself at his feet saying: My father, I beseech you, pray again for me; for I cannot bear the weight of the sorrows that overwhelm me because of my daughter; every day they become stronger and more crushing, and if God does not soon come to my aid, I fear I shall succumb to them.

Then the abbot, touched with compassion, said to him: We have among us a young brother, named Smaragdus, who has come recently, and who already distinguishes himself by high piety and excellent holiness. Would you not like to ask him for the counsel you need? — The abbot spoke thus because he was unaware that Brother Smaragdus was none other than Paphnutius's daughter. — The latter replied: I am willing. — Then the abbot, having called Agapitus, the former director of Smaragdus, said to him: Take Paphnutius to the cell of Smaragdus. This was done. Smaragdus, upon seeing her father, recognized him immediately, and her eyes filled with tears. But Paphnutius did not recognize his daughter, and seeing her weep, he thought they were tears of compunction; for her beautiful face had become unrecognizable through fasting, vigils, and sobbing. And so as not to be recognized by her father, she covered her face with the hem of her robe.

First they prayed together; then they sat down next to each other, and Smaragdus began to speak to her father of future bliss and the kingdom of heaven, saying that one attains it through almsgiving, through chastity, through obedience, through humility; in a word, through a perfect love of God and neighbor. She said among other things: "To find God, one must flee the world, and to love Him perfectly, one must love Him more than all things in the world, even more than one's own children... Saint Paul teaches that adversity is the mother of patience, and that from patience is born perseverance... Believe me, sooner or later God will answer your prayers, and if, at this very moment, her salvation were in danger, God would certainly not fail to let you know. But there is every reason to think that God has led her to a safe place, to a holy asylum. Cease then to grieve so much; think rather of thanking God for all the good He has done for you. Often already I have prayed for Him to grant you patience and resignation, and to give you, as well as your daughter, what is best for both. Often also I have wished to see you and console you, hoping that my words and exhortations would do good to your afflicted heart, and restore peace to your soul."

While speaking thus, she asked him several times to return; and when he wanted to leave, her eyes filled with tears again, and the separation seemed very hard and cruel to her. But Paphnutius was extremely consoled by all that she had said to him; he returned to the abbot and said to him: The discourses of your brother Smaragdus have greatly consoled me, and I am very grateful to God for the graces He has bestowed upon me through His servant: it is almost as if I had found my daughter again. — Then he commended himself again to the prayers of the abbot, and he returned to his house. And he often returned to Brother Smaragdus, to converse with him, finding in these conversations an ineffable charm and sweetness.

This lasted for thirty-eight years... Then Emerald fell ill and was on the point of death. Paphnutius went to find the abbot and said to him: I pray you to allow me to go and see Emerald, for my soul is sad not to have seen him for a long time. — The requested permission having been granted, he went to the cell where the dying man was; and when he saw him, he threw himself on his neck, weeping, and said: Woe, woe! For so long you have consoled me by saying that one day I would see my daughter again, and I have not yet seen her! ... And if now I lose you too, as I have lost my daughter, who will console me henceforth? Who will help me bear the weight of my sorrows? Nothing remains for me now but to mourn her as dead: for it has been thirty-eight years since I lost her, and day and night I beg heaven to return her to me; and I have not yet found her! Then Emerald said to him: I repeat to you again: do not grieve beyond measure, and do not be desolate. God is all-powerful, and all things are possible to Him. Remember Jacob who, after having long mourned his son Joseph as dead, nevertheless found him again in joy. Now I pray you to stay with me for three more days, without leaving me. — Paphnutius, thinking that Emerald, before dying, would have a revelation to make to him concerning his daughter, very willingly made this promise. On the third day, Paphnutius said to him: It has been three days that I have been with you, without leaving you... — Then Euphrosyne, knowing well that the time of her death was near, said to her father: "I have finally reached the end of my career and the goal of my vows, not by my own strength, but by the help of God. I am now going to receive the crown of glory. As for you, Paphnutius, do not grieve any longer about your daughter Euphrosyne; for it is I myself, and you are my dear father. Now the promise that I have often made to you is fulfilled: you have seen your daughter again! Do me the charity of saying nothing of this to anyone, and when I am dead, undress me yourself, to wash my body."

After having spoken thus, she expired, and went to take possession of the eternal joys. Paphnutius, seeing her dead, felt such pain that he fell into a faint. Then Agapitus arrived, and upon entering the cell, he saw that Emerald was dead, and that Paphnutius was lying on the ground, as if he himself were also dead. Agapitus, frightened, threw water on his face, then he raised him up and said to him: Lord, what is the matter with you? — Paphnutius replied: Leave me; I desire to die here, for I have seen wonderful things today. — Then he continued: Alas! My beloved daughter, why did you not reveal yourself to me sooner? I would have been happy to live in community with you. Alas! Why did you hide yourself from me for so long? You have finally discovered yourself only to disappear immediately, and to fly away to heaven!...

Agapitus, having been informed of what had happened, went to tell the abbot, who immediately came to weep over the body of the saint, crying out: Ah! Euphrosyne, bride of Jesus Christ, holy daughter of this monastery, do not forget your unworthy brothers, and pray to God to admit us soon with you into the heavenly kingdom, to enjoy eternally with you and with the blessed spirits the sight of God. — Then he had all the monks of the convent assembled to announce this wonderful thing to them, and all together they praised God for having wrought such great things in a weak woman.

Now, among the brothers there was one who could see with only one eye; he came to kiss her on the face with great devotion, and immediately his other eye was healed and endowed with sight. Then all praised God again, and gave thanks to Saint Euphrosyne for her mercy and her powerful intercession. And after having solemnly promised God to walk in the footsteps of their holy companion, they buried her devoutly with great pomp.

Afterwards, her father gave all his goods to the convent and to the church, and he entered it himself as a brother. He was given his daughter's cell, and after having lived there for another ten years in the practice of all virtues, he died holily. He was buried in his daughter's tomb, and each year the monks of the convent celebrated the feast of Saint Euphrosyne.

In the last century , the abbey of Réaul l'abbaye de Réaulieu Place where the saint's relics are kept near Compiègne. ieu, near Compiègne, possessed the head of this Saint and her principal bones: her feast was celebrated there amidst a great gathering of people.

Saint Euphrosyne can be depicted with men's clothing at her feet; as can Saint Hildegund, Saint Marina, Saint Pelagia-Margaret, Saint Theodora, and others, who also hid themselves under men's clothing.

There is a biography of Saint Euphrosyne older than the one written by Metaphrastes. It is found in the Acta Sanctorum Acta Sanctorum Hagiographic collection cited as a source. .