Pelagia

For other uses, see Pelagia (disambiguation).

Saint

Pelagia
Margarita among her courtesans, as Saint Nonnus prays for her (14th-century MS)
Venerated in
Feast
  • 8 October
  • Tuesday after fourth Sunday of the Exaltation of the Cross (Armenian Apostolic Church)[1]

Pelagia (‹See Tfd›Greek: Πελαγία), distinguished as Pelagia of Antioch, Pelagia the Penitent, and Pelagia the Harlot, was a Christian saint and hermit in the 4th or 5th century. Her feast day was celebrated on 8 October, originally in common with Saints Pelagia the Virgin and Pelagia of Tarsus.[2][3][n 1] Pelagia died as a result of extreme asceticism, which had emaciated her to the point she could no longer be recognized. According to Orthodox tradition, she was buried in her cell. Upon the discovery that the renowned monk had been a woman, the holy fathers tried to keep it a secret, but the gossip spread and her relics drew pilgrims from as far off as Jericho and the Jordan valley.

  1. ^ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2002, p.516.
  2. ^ Greek Synaxarion.
  3. ^ a b Kirsch (1911).


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