Virgin-martyr Eugenia of Rome

Eugenia was the daughter of Philip, the Roman prefect of Egypt under Commodus in the late second century, born and raised at Alexandria in extreme wealth and the best Greek education. As a young woman she came under the influence of Christian writings (the synaxarion mentions Paul's letters in particular) and the witness of two eunuch servants in the household, Protus and Hyacinth, who were Christians.

In a remarkable expression of her conversion she dressed as a man, fled the family villa with Protus and Hyacinth, and presented herself at a nearby monastery as a man asking to be received as a novice. She was tonsured under the name "Eugenius" and lived for several years as a monk, eventually being elected abbot of the community by the brothers. Her sex was discovered when she was falsely accused of attempted assault by a local woman; rather than reveal her identity privately, Eugenia revealed herself publicly before the tribunal, which happened to be her own father's. Philip was overwhelmed, came to the faith with his household, and Eugenia openly returned to her Christian life.

She afterwards traveled to Rome where, during the persecution under Septimius Severus, she was arrested and finally beheaded after many torments. Her feast falls on December 24, the eve of the Nativity, alongside the Royal Hours.