Biography
Although many different accounts of her life exist, the most widely known is The Acts of St. Afra, which dates from the Carolingian period (8th cent. A.D.). According to this source, she was originally a courtesan in Augsburg, having come there from Cyprus, maybe even as the daughter of the King of Cyprus. She is reputed either to have run a brothel in that town or worked as a hierodule in the Temple of Venus. As the persecution of Christians during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian began, Bishop Narcissus of Girona (in Spain) arrived there and lodged with Afra and her mother, Hilaria. The bishop did not know their profession, but soon converted them. She continued to hide the bishop from the authorities, but was arrested, and condemned to be burned to death. Her mother and her maids (viz., Ligna, Eunonia, and Eutropia) later suffered the same fate, for interring her in a burial vault.
According to an alternative account in an earlier document, Afra was beheaded, rather than having been burned. The Martyrologium Hieronymianum (a compilation of martyrs) mentions Afra as having "suffered in the city of Augsburg" and as being "buried there".
Her name first appears in 5th century martyrologies, thus leading some to question the historicity of her existence.
Read more about this topic: Afra
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