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B. EUPHASIA

She was buried in the monastery of St. John, at Pskov, and is celebrated in Russia for her virtues and the miracles wrought at her tomb. Karamsin, Hist. de Russie, iii. 321; viii., tableau v.

B. Euphrasia (12), Sept. 14 (Anfrosina, Euphrosina), 3rd O.S.P, + 1484. She lived in the little town of St. Sepolero, in Umbria with a disagreeable, cross husband. On his death, she became a nun in the convent of St. Catherine, of the Third Order of St. Francis, in her native place. She was distinguished for her great humility. She foretold deaths and other events. The B. Cherubino of Spoleto was dying in the convent of the B. Mary of the Angels, and Euphrasia, praying in her own convent, was in an ecstasy for four hours, after which she was commanded by her confessor to declare what she had seen. She said the soul of Cherubino had now passed into heaven; sixty-six thousand souls came to meet him, all saved by his preaching, other great saints with them. A month after this, Euphrasia died. Two years later the nuns of her convent adopted the modified Rule of St. Francis, called Urbanists. Jacobilli, Santi dell' Umbria, ii. 245. Hueber, Franciscan Mart., says she is beatified by order of the Church.

St. Euphrata, March 25, M. with more than four hundred others, at Nice, in Bithynia. AA.SS.

St. Euphraxia, Euphbasia.

SS. Euphrosyne (l), or Eufrosina, etc., and Theodora (2), May 7, VV. MM. c. 100. Slaves of St. Flavia Domitilla (2). B.M, AA.SS.

St. Euphrosyne (2), Euphrasia (7) of the oil.

SS. Euphrosyne (3) and Florentia, July 7, reputed companions of St. Ursula, have a separate worship in Schleswig.

St. Euphrosyne (4). Euphrasia (8), V. in the Thebald, is sometimes so called.

St. Euphrosyne (5), Jan. 1, Feb. 11, March 16, Sept. 25, V. 5th century, reign of Theodosius II. Daughter of Paphuncius of Alexandria, who had been married many years to a very good woman, but had no child until he begged the prayers of the abbot and monks of a convent where he often visited. At last he had one beautiful daughter, who, at the age of seven, was baptized, and at twelve lost her mother. At eighteen she had many suitors, of whom her father chose the richest and noblest. He then took her to the monastery, and with munificent gifts begged for her the blessing and prayers of the abbot. They stayed there three days, during which Euphrosyne much admired the holy life of the monks. The abbot was in the habit of making a feast and inviting his friends, on the anniversary of the day on which he was made abbot. Soon after the visit of Paphuncius and Euphrosyne, he sent a monk to their house to invite Paphuncius to this entertainment. He was not at home, and Euphrosyne had a long conversation with the monk, and asked him many questions about monastic life, and expressed her fears for her soul if she remained in the world. Whereupon he advised her to disguise herself as a man, and during her father's absence at the festival to which the abbot now invited him, to enter a monastery. This she did, taking the name of Smaridanus, or Smaragdus. The beauty of her face distracted the monks from their devotions; they thought she was a devil come amongst them for that purpose, so the abbot ordered her to remain in her cell and say her prayers alone, and not come into the church. Paphuncius sought his daughter with great sorrow in all the nunneries and every other place that he thought could possibly conceal her, and came at last for consolation to the monk, Smaragdus, who comforted him, and assured him that God was taking care of Euphrosyne in some good place. He continued to visit her, and received much consolation and advice from her for thirty-three years, believing her to be a monk. When she was at the point of death, she told him who she was, and begged him to keep her secret even after her death, but Agapito, or Agape, who took care of her, hearing her father's lamentations over her, understood who she was, and told it to the abbot.

Baillet doubts the story, but Bosweide, the Bollandist, thinks it genuine.