Story
She was the only daughter of one of the nobles of Rome, named Xene, who grew up loving worship, visiting the imprisoned, and giving generously to the needy.
She used to visit the houses of the virgins and follow their example, and she also loved to read the lives of the saints.
One of the ministers of Rome betrothed her to his son, so her father concerned himself with the matter and prepared everything precious for the wedding day. As for her, she asked her mother to permit her to visit some of the nuns to bid them farewell before her marriage. When her mother gave her leave, she took two of her maidservants and all her jewelry and sailed to Cyprus, where she met Saint Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, and made known to him her longing to practice the monastic life. The saint counseled her to go to Alexandria, so she obeyed and met Pope Theophilus (the 23rd), who admitted her into a house for virgins. She handed over to him her jewelry, which he sold and with it built a church in the name of Saint Stephen, the first of the deacons.
She continued to practice the ascetic life for more than twenty years.
At her departure (repose), there appeared in the sky a cross of light surrounded by a ring of shining stars in the shape of a crown. This occurred at midday and remained until her body was buried, so that the people of Alexandria sensed that it was a heavenly sign indicating the loftiness of her spiritual life.
The two maidservants revealed the truth of Xene's identity to the patriarch, and informed him that they were her maidservants and not, as she used to call them, her sisters. So the patriarch glorified God and wrote the life of the saint.
The Church celebrates the feast of her repose on the 29th of Tobi