In the city of Alexandria lived a wealthy and pious man named Paphnutius, who, along with his wife, prayed to God for the gift of children. After their prayers and acts of charity, they had a daughter whom they named Euphrasia. After losing his wife, Paphnutius continued to teach his daughter the Divine Scriptures. When Euphrasia reached adulthood, many noble citizens wished to take her as their wife, but she aspired to a monastic life.
Before her marriage, Paphnutius took his daughter to a monastery to the holy abbot, who blessed her and instructed her in chastity. Inspired by the life of the monks, Euphrasia decided to secretly leave for the monastery to avoid marriage. She dressed in men's clothing and, taking the name Izmargd, came to a male monastery, where she was joyfully received.
In the monastery, she spent her time in prayers and fasting, but soon her father, Paphnutius, began to search for her. He grieved deeply for his daughter, not knowing that she had become a monk. The abbot of the monastery, knowing of her life, could not reveal to Paphnutius her secret, as Euphrasia herself prayed to God that no one would know of her fate.
After thirty-eight years, Euphrasia, being at the point of death, revealed to her father that she was his daughter. She asked him to fulfill the promise of donating her possessions to the monastery. After her death, Paphnutius, learning of her life, also took monastic vows and lived in the monastery, distributing his wealth for the needs of the church and the poor. He died on the same mat on which his daughter had died and was buried next to her.
