Saint Pelagia the Penitent, once a famed actress and possibly a courtesan in Antioch, was known for her glamorous attire and extravagant lifestyle. One day, adorned in gold and jewels, she rode past a gathering of bishops on her donkey. All turned away, except Bishop Nonnus, who remarked, with tears in his eyes, how much care she took in her appearance for people, while they took little care in preparing their souls for God.
That evening, Nonnus dreamt of a black dove tainted with soot. He cleansed it in baptismal waters, transforming it into a pure, white dove that took flight.
The following Sunday, moved by Nonnus’s sermon, a tearful Pelagia entered the church, seeking redemption. Meeting the assembly of bishops, she fell at Nonnus’s feet, confessed her sins, and expressed her desire for baptism. After Nonnus baptized her, she renounced her past life and donated all her wealth for the needy, with Nonnus as the intermediary.
Not long after, she vanished, leaving behind only the white robes from her baptism. Nonnus, it was said, had given her his own monkish garments.
Years later, Deacon James, an acquaintance of Nonnus, was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Nonnus asked him to inquire about a monk named “Pelagius”, a hermit living on the Mount of Olives. James found the monk, who spoke highly of Nonnus. However, during a subsequent visit, James discovered the monk had passed away. The surprise came when the local monks, preparing the body for burial, discovered that the revered monk, Pelagius, was in fact a woman. News of the ascetic woman, once the dazzling Pelagia of Antioch, spread far and wide. In a grand procession, with lights and hymns, she was laid to rest sometime in the 4th or 5th century.
Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus via Flickr
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