Saint Eugenia of Rome

Eugenia was a Christian woman martyred in Rome in the third century, probably under Emperor Valerian, and buried in the cemetery of Apronian on the Via Latina. According to a popular later legend, she was the daughter of a Roman prefect of Egypt, secretly became a Christian, disguised herself as a man to enter a monastery and was even chosen abbot, until a false accusation forced her to reveal who she was. The legend says she converted her family and, returning to Rome, was beheaded for the faith. Her cult is very ancient, and she was honored in both East and West.

She appears in the famous procession of virgin martyrs in the mosaics of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. The name Eugenia, meaning "well-born," became popular across Europe and Latin America.