Saint Pelagia
Encyclopedia
Saint Pelagia is an Antioch
ene saint
, a virgin
of fifteen years, who chose death by a leap from the housetop rather than dishonour from soldiers during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is mentioned by Ambrose
(De virg. iii. 7, 33; Ep. xxxvii. ad Simplic.), and is the subject of two sermons by Chrysostom. Her festival was celebrated on 8 October (Wrights Syriac Martyrology).
In the Greek synaxaria the same day is assigned to two other saints of the name of Pelagiaone, also of Antioch; the other, known as Pelagia of Tarsus
, in Cilicia
.
The legend of the Saint Pelagia (sometimes called Margarito) who was a courtesan is famous. She was a celebrated dancer and courtesan, who, in the full flower of her beauty and guilty sovereignty over the youth of Antioch, was suddenly converted by the influence of the holy bishop Saint Nonnus
, whom she had heard preaching in front of a church which she was passing with her attendants and admirers. Seeking out Nonnus, she overcame his canonical scruples by her tears of genuine penitence, was baptized, and, disguising herself in the garb of a male penitent, retired to a grotto on the Mount of Olives
, where she died after three years of strict penance. This story seems to combine with the name of the older Pelagia some traits from an actual history referred to by Chrysostom (Horn. in Matth. lxvii. 3).
In associating St Pelagia with Saint Marina
, St Margaret
and others, of whom either the name or the legend recalls Pelagia, Hermann Usener
has endeavoured to show by a series of subtle deductions that this saint is only a Christian travesty of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite
. But there is no doubt of the existence of the first Pelagia of Antioch, the Pelagia of Ambrose and Chrysostom. The legends which have subsequently become connected with her name are the result of a very common development in literary history.
St. Pelagia is also the name of another saint, the nun who found in 1822 the holy icon of Our Lady of Tinos
at Tinos island in Greece.
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
ene saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, a virgin
Consecrated virgin
In the Catholic Church a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been conscrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity in the service of God. Consecrated virgins are to spend their time in works of penance and mercy, in apostolic activity and in prayer, according to their state of life and...
of fifteen years, who chose death by a leap from the housetop rather than dishonour from soldiers during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is mentioned by Ambrose
Ambrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
(De virg. iii. 7, 33; Ep. xxxvii. ad Simplic.), and is the subject of two sermons by Chrysostom. Her festival was celebrated on 8 October (Wrights Syriac Martyrology).
In the Greek synaxaria the same day is assigned to two other saints of the name of Pelagiaone, also of Antioch; the other, known as Pelagia of Tarsus
Pelagia of Tarsus
Pelagia of Tarsus is a saint and martyr who lived in Tarsus in the Cilicia region of Asia Minor during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She is likely based on Saint Pelagia of Antioch....
, in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
.
The legend of the Saint Pelagia (sometimes called Margarito) who was a courtesan is famous. She was a celebrated dancer and courtesan, who, in the full flower of her beauty and guilty sovereignty over the youth of Antioch, was suddenly converted by the influence of the holy bishop Saint Nonnus
Saint Nonnus
According to Christian tradition, Saint Nonnus was the bishop of Edessa, Mesopotamia who converted Saint Pelagia, a former courtesan, through his preaching and prayer...
, whom she had heard preaching in front of a church which she was passing with her attendants and admirers. Seeking out Nonnus, she overcame his canonical scruples by her tears of genuine penitence, was baptized, and, disguising herself in the garb of a male penitent, retired to a grotto on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
, where she died after three years of strict penance. This story seems to combine with the name of the older Pelagia some traits from an actual history referred to by Chrysostom (Horn. in Matth. lxvii. 3).
In associating St Pelagia with Saint Marina
Marina the Monk
Marina the Monk was a Saint from the north of Lebanon.She was the daughter of a wealthy Christian gentleman named Eugene...
, St Margaret
Margaret the Virgin
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
and others, of whom either the name or the legend recalls Pelagia, Hermann Usener
Hermann Usener
Hermann Karl Usener was a German scholar in the fields of philology and comparative religion.-Life:...
has endeavoured to show by a series of subtle deductions that this saint is only a Christian travesty of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
. But there is no doubt of the existence of the first Pelagia of Antioch, the Pelagia of Ambrose and Chrysostom. The legends which have subsequently become connected with her name are the result of a very common development in literary history.
St. Pelagia is also the name of another saint, the nun who found in 1822 the holy icon of Our Lady of Tinos
Our Lady of Tinos
Our Lady of Tinos is the major Marian shrine in Greece. It is located in the town of Tinos on the island of Tinos.The complex is built around a miraculous icon which according to tradition was found after the Virgin appeared to the nun St. Pelagia and revealed to her the place where the icon was...
at Tinos island in Greece.
Sources and references
- Acta sanctorumActa SanctorumActa Sanctorum is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saint's feast day. It begins with two January volumes, published in 1643, and ended with the Propylaeum to...
, October, iv. 248 seq. - Hermann UsenerHermann UsenerHermann Karl Usener was a German scholar in the fields of philology and comparative religion.-Life:...
, Legenden der heiligen Pelagia (Bonn, 1879) - Hippolyte DelehayeHippolyte DelehayeHippolyte Delehaye was a Belgian Jesuit who was a hagiographic scholar and an outstanding member of the Bollandists, who established critical editions of texts relating to the Christian saints and martyrs that were based on applying the critical method of sound archaeological and documentary...
, The Legends of the Saints (London, 1907), pp. 197–205 - The Life of St Pelagia the Harlot (original source material)
- Homily LXiV of St Chrysostom (original source material)