The Balkans, from the time of the Slavic migration to modern times, have remained a battleground for peoples, but also a space where a common cultural heritage was formed, in which the influence of Byzantium, Hellenism, and the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate played a decisive role, the latter becoming a national protector after 1453.

Religion became the unifying thread of the Orthodox Balkan peoples. In their efforts to find support for the faithful against Catholics, heretics, and others of different faiths, relics of Saints gained great popularity. One such support was the miraculous relic of Saint Paraskevi of Epibatai, from the Propontis to Ohrid and from Prouthos to Aimo, during the late Middle Ages. From then until today, it continues to be a focus of veneration for Orthodox Christians.

The book explores the life and journey of the relic of Saint Paraskevi from Eastern Thrace, a Byzantine Saint who lived in the 10th century. It discusses the historical context of the period and the circumstances that led to the transfer of her relic to the Balkans, from the 13th to the 17th century.

It investigates the spiritual presence of the Saint among the Orthodox peoples of the Balkans, from the late Byzantine era until the eve of the Greek Revolution in the Danubian Principalities, through the events that marked the history of the states where her relic remained. Her miracles kept the flame of Orthodox faith alive and made her extremely popular among the Balkan states, to the point of being considered their national saint.

She rightly earned the title of "Patroness of the Balkans".