Life in Antioch
By the account attributed to James the Deacon, Pelagia, originally named Margarita, was a prominent actress and courtesan in Antioch during the 4th or 5th century. She led a life of conspicuous luxury and was described as the foremost actress in the city. The OCA account adds that she led a dance troupe and lived a frivolous life as a dancer.
The same source records her appearance in vivid terms: perfumed and bareheaded, the outlines of her body visible beneath her gold cloth, pearls, and precious stones. This display of wealth and ornament would later become the very point on which Bishop Nonnus drew a spiritual lesson.
Conversion and Baptism
Bishop Nonnus of Heliopolis, also described as Bishop of Edessa in the OCA account, was the catalyst for her transformation. During a church council, he observed Margarita pass by; while other believers turned away, he looked openly upon her and confessed himself delighted, then rebuked his fellow bishops for caring less for their souls than she cared for the appearance of her body. He remarked that she took great care to adorn her body to appear beautiful in the eyes of men, while clergy neglected their souls, and he prayed for her conversion.
After attending one of Nonnus's sermons on hell and paradise, Margarita was moved to repentance. The accounts relate that she sought his counsel, calling herself sinful and a servant of the devil, and approached him with tears, requesting baptism. The deaconess Romana clothed her in baptismal garments, and Nonnus heard her confession and baptized her under her birth name, Pelagia. The OCA adds that after her baptism the devil tempted her to abandon her new faith, but she resisted through prayer and the Sign of the Cross.
Renunciation of Wealth
Upon her conversion, Pelagia distributed her considerable wealth to widows, orphans, and the poor. The account attributed to James the Deacon relates that she freed her slaves, male and female, removing their golden torcs with her own hands.
Three days after her baptism, she gave her remaining valuables to Bishop Nonnus, who instructed that they be distributed among the poor so that these ill-gotten gains might become a wealth of righteousness.
Ascetic Life Near Jerusalem
Before removing her baptismal gown, Pelagia secretly departed for Jerusalem, where she built a cell on the Mount of Olives. According to the account attributed to James the Deacon, she lived there three or four years, disguising herself as a male recluse and eunuch under the name Pelagius, and attained significant spiritual gifts through ascetic practice.
The sources relate that she died as a result of extreme asceticism, which had emaciated her so severely that she could no longer be recognized. The OCA states that she died in her cell, where she was subsequently buried.
Discovery and Veneration
The accounts relate that her gender was discovered only after her death. The clergy who made the discovery initially attempted to keep it secret, but knowledge of it spread widely; her relics drew pilgrims from as far as Jericho and the Jordan valley.
Her feast day is celebrated on October 8 across the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Armenian Apostolic traditions. An OrthodoxWiki note confirms that she is a distinct saint from Pelagia the Virgin Martyr of Antioch, who is commemorated on the same day; the Virgin Martyr was born into a distinguished Antiochene family in the early 4th century and was arrested as a Christian during the reign of Diocletian.
