Paraskevi of Rome was a second-century Christian martyr born near Rome to Greek parents. After renouncing her possessions to preach the faith, she traveled extensively to minister to various towns. Her devotion led to multiple arrests and various tortures, including being placed in a vessel of boiling oil and tar, yet she remained unharmed. She was eventually executed by beheading in Athens under the authority of the governor Tarasius after she destroyed idols in the Temple of Apollo.