Susanna the Deaconess (Ancient Greek: Σωσάννα ἡ διακόνισσα) was a deaconess, cross-dressing saint and martyr who supposedly lived in Palestine in the 4th century.
According to her hagiographies, she chose to devote herself entirely to the Christian faith by cross-dressing as a man and joining a male monastery under the name "John". There, she led a pious life until she was discovered following false accusations of rape within the monastic community. She was later appointed as a deaconess by the bishop of Eleutheropolis. Finally, she would have been martyred under grim circumstances in the early 4th century in this city.
