Wikipedia
Saint Euphemia ( Late Koine Greek ), "well-spoken [of]", known as the All-praised in the Orthodox Church, is a Christian saint, who was martyred for her faith in 303 AD. According to Christian tradition, this occurred at Chalcedon.
According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer sacrifices to Ares. After suffering various tortures, she died in the arena at Chalcedon from wounds sustained from a bear. Her tomb became a site of pilgrimages. She is commemorated on September 16.
Euphemia (died 520s), whose original name was Lupicina, was the consort of Justin I, who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 517 to 527.
Empress Euphemia is credited with the ecclesiastical policies of Justin and she founded a Church of Saint Euphemia, where she was buried following her death, probably in either 523 or 524. Justin was buried by her side in 527.
According to the Secret History of Procopius, Lupicina was both a slave and a barbarian. He asserted that she had been the concubine of her owner. The information from the Secret History was published posthumously. The seven volumes of histories that were published in his lifetime were the antithesis of this published work, being most laudatory of the new dynasty. Critics of Procopius (whose secret history reveals a man seriously disillusioned with his rulers) have dismissed his posthumously published work as a severely biased source, being vitriolic and pornographic, but without other sources, critics have been unable to discredit some of the assertions in the publication. Although its motives are suspect and it can not be verified, its titillating nature has kept it as a popular reference.
The marriage of Euphemia and Justin is estimated to have occurred during the reign of Anastasius I (reigned 491-518) when Justin had a prosperous career in the Byzantine army.
Euphemia is a Greek female given name, meaning "well-spoken". It is derived from the ancient Greek words ευ (good) and φημί (to speak).
The diminutive Effie is a pet form of Euphemia.
Euphemia or Eufemia may also refer to:
Euphemia is a sans-serif typeface for Unified Canadian Syllabics.