Venerable Paraskeva of Serbia (11th Century) — October 14 / October 27 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, October 14 according to the Julian Calendar (October 27 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Venerable Paraskeva of Serbia.

The Venerable Paraskeva of Serbia was born in a village near Constantinople into a pious Bulgarian family. Once, during the divine services, the maiden’s heart was stirred by the words of the Gospel: “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). After this she began to distribute her possessions to the poor. Following the death of her parents, the blessed one withdrew from the vanity of the world, received monastic tonsure, and labored in asceticism in the wilderness of the Jordan until deep old age. Two years before her death, at the prompting of an angel, the holy mother returned to her homeland and settled near the Church of the Holy Apostles, where she reposed in peace in the first half of the 11th century.