Anastasia, a most noble daughter of the Romans, of the illustrious Praetextatus, but a pagan, was instructed in the faith of Christ by her mother Fausta, a Christian, and by blessed Chrysogonus. Given in marriage to Publius, she always kept herself from his company, feigning illness. He, hearing that she, with only one maidservant and in the mean garb of Christians, was visiting the prisons of the Christians and ministering necessities to them, had her most strictly confined, so that he even denied her food, wishing to do away with her in this manner, that he might revel in her very ample possessions. Therefore, thinking that she was dying, she sent sorrowful letters to Chrysogonus, and he sent back consoling ones. Meanwhile her husband died, and she was freed from the prisons.
She had three most beautiful maidservants who were sisters. One of them was called Agape, another Chionia, and another Irene. Since they were Christians and would by no means obey the prefect's admonitions, he shut them in a chamber where the kitchen utensils were kept. But the prefect, burning with love for them, went to them to satisfy his lust. Falling into madness, thinking he was handling the virgins, he embraced and kissed the pots, pans, cauldrons and the like; and when he had had his fill of this, he went outside, utterly black and deformed, with his clothes in tatters.
The servants who had been waiting for him before the doors, seeing him fitted out thus and thinking that he had been turned into a demon, beat him with blows and, fleeing, left him alone. And when he went to the emperor to complain of this, some struck him with rods, others threw mud and dust upon him, suspecting that he had gone mad. But his eyes were held, so that he might not see himself thus deformed. For it seemed to him that he and all the rest were clothed in white garments. Wherefore he marvelled greatly, since all thus mocked him whom they had been accustomed to hold in such great honour.
But thinking, when he had learned from others that he was thus deformed, that the girls had done this to him by magic art, he ordered them to be stripped before him, that he might at least gaze on them naked. But at once their garments so clung to their bodies that they could in no way be taken off. And the prefect, from astonishment, fell asleep snoring so deeply that he could not even be roused by those who shook him. At length the virgins were crowned with martyrdom, and Anastasia was handed over by the emperor to a certain prefect, that, if he could make her sacrifice, he might afterwards have her as his wife. And when he had led her into the bridal chamber and wished to embrace her, he was at once made blind. He went to the gods, asking whether he could escape. They answered, saying:
'Because you have grieved holy Anastasia, you have been handed over to us, and henceforth you shall always be tormented with us in hell.' And while he was being led home, he ended his life in the hands of the boys. Then Anastasia was handed over to another prefect, that he might keep her in custody. For hearing that she had boundless possessions, he said to her privately: 'Anastasia, if you wish to be a Christian, do what your Lord commanded. For he commanded: "Whoever does not renounce all that he possesses, etc." Give me therefore all that you have, and go wherever you wish, and you will truly be a Christian.' She answered him: 'My God commanded:
"Sell all that you have, and give to the poor and not to the rich." Since therefore you are rich, I would act against God's command if I gave you anything.' Then Anastasia was handed over to a dreadful prison to be tortured with hunger, but by holy Theodora, who had already been crowned through martyrdom, she was fed for two months with heavenly food. At length she was led with two hundred virgins to the Palmarian islands, where many had been banished for the name of Christ. But after some days the prefect summoned them all to himself, and Anastasia, bound to stakes, he burned with fire. The others he destroyed with various torments. Among whom was one who, having many times been despoiled of great riches for Christ's sake, always said: 'At least you will not take Christ from me.'
But Apollonia honourably buried the body of holy Anastasia in a garden, a church having been built there. She suffered under Diocletian, who began around the year of the Lord 287.