Cleopatra

About Cleopatra

Cleopatra was a Christian widow remembered in the story of the martyr Varus. The account places her in Egypt, where she sheltered his remains after his execution. When persecution ended, she brought them to Palestine, her homeland. These episodes belong to the received account of Varus and Cleopatra preserved in the Acta Sanctorum; they are presented here as tradition.

The Orthodox Church in America's life names her home village as Edra, near Mount Tabor, and her son as John. It tells of his sudden death and his mother's grief. In its dream narrative, Cleopatra saw John with Varus and understood that her son had been received into heaven. This vision is part of the devotional story, rather than an independently established event.

According to the same life, Cleopatra lived beside the church she had built over their relics, gave her possessions to the poor, and devoted herself to prayer and fasting. It says she died seven years later.

Accounts differ about her death: the OCA calendar gives 327, while Nominis gives 319 and describes an execution. The Acta Sanctorum commentary explicitly rejects calling her a martyr. Her remembrance remains closely connected with the care of Varus's relics and the story of her son.