Saint Paraskeva

Saint Paraskeva is the Bulgarian, Serbian, and Macedonian name for Saint Parascheva of the Balkans, a 10th-century ascetic female saint who was born near present-day Istanbul. She is known for her visions of the Virgin Mary and for settling in a convent near the Jordan River2. The cult of Saint Paraskeva, also known as Saint Petka, began to spread in the 14th century from Bulgaria into the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. In modern-day Romania, the veneration of Saint Paraskeva is a major religious event, with annual pilgrimages to the shrines located in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi. The legend of St. Petka and the stone bread tells of her living in a cave and being persecuted for her Christian faith. In Macedonia, Saint Petka’s healing energies are associated with holy wells and springs, particularly in the village of Sklithro