By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
The Church today commemorates Venerable Xenia and the Hieromartyr Babylas, as well as the bishops of Karpasia, Philon and Theoprovos.
Venerable Xenia came from an aristocratic family of Rome and was originally called Eusebia. She was distinguished both for her feminine stature and physical beauty, as well as for her faith in Christ and her virtue. Craving nothing more than purity, virginity and dedication to the Lord, she was forced to secretly leave her home country to avoid the marriage her parents had arranged for her. Along with her two former servants, they moved to Alexandria and from there to the island of Kos. Eventually they fled to Milassa, Asia Minor, where they lived ascetically until their venerable death.
The Venerable was renamed from Eusebia to Xenia (which means “stranger” or foreigner” in Greek), for in her life she followed the path of foreign lands and used this name when she exchanged the noble life of Rome with the path of sufering for Christ’s sake.
Source: Church of Cyprus