Saint Pelagia | |
|---|---|
| Virgin Martyr | |
| Born | late 3rd century |
| Residence | Antioch |
| Died | Antioch |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Major shrine | Antioch |
| Feast | 8 October (Eastern Orthodox) 9 June (Roman Catholic) 5 October (Naples) |
Pelagia the Virgin (Greek: Πελαγία), also known as Pelagia of Antioch, was a Christian saint and virgin martyr who leapt to her death during the Diocletianic Persecution in refusal to offer a public sacrifice to the pagan gods by Roman soldiers,[1] or to do "something unspeakable (for she was a virgin)", typically inferred as the Roman soldiers attempting to rape her.[2] She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.