Pelagia

Pelagia
Pelagia
Discusses four saints of this name

Catholic Encyclopedia. . 2006.

Pelagia
    Pelagia
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Pelagia
    The name of several saints. The old Syrian martyrology gives the feast of a St. Pelagia of Antioch (in Antiochia Pelagiæ) under the date of 8 October. Further information concerning this martyr, undoubtedly an historical person, is given in a homily of St. John Chrysostom [P. G., L, 479 sqq.; Ruinart, "Acta mart. sincera" (ed. Ratisbon), 540 sqq.]. Pelagia was a Christian virgin fifteen years of age. Soldiers came in search of her, evidently during the Diocletian persecution, in order to force her to offer publicly a heathen sacrifice. She was alone in the house, no one being there to aid her. She came out to the soldiers sent after her and when she learned the order they had to execute, she requested permission to go again into the house in order to put on other clothing. This was granted to her. The virgin who probably knew what was before her was not willing to expose herself to the danger of being dishonoured. She therefore went up to the roof of the house and threw herself into the sea. Thus she died, as St. Chrysostom says, as virgin and martyr, and was honoured as such by the Antiochene Church. St. Ambrose also mentions this Pelagia of Antioch ("De virginibus", III, vii; Epist. XXVII, "Ad Simplicianum", xxxviii).
    There is a later legend of a Pelagia who is said to have led the life of a prostitute at Antioch and to have been converted by a bishop named Nonnus. According to the story she went to Jerusalem where disguised as a man and under the name of Pelagius she led a life of self-mortification in a grotto on the Mount of Olives. The author of this legend who calls himself the Deacon Jacob has drawn the essential part of his narrative from the forty-eighth homily of St. Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. Matthew. In this homily the preacher relates the conversion of a celebrated actress of Antioch whose name he does not give. As no old authority makes any mention of a Pelagia in Jerusalem, no doubt the alleged converted woman is a purely legendary recasting of the historical Pelagia. In the East the feast of this second Pelagia is observed on the same day (8 October); in the present Roman martyrology the feast of the martyr is observed on 9 June, that of the penitent on 8 October.
    On the latter date the Greek Church also celebrates as virgin and martyr still another Pelagia of Tarsus. The Roman martyrology places the feast of this Pelagia on 4 May. There is a legend of later date concerning her. As Tarsus was near Antioch St. Pelagia of Tarsus should probably be identified with the Antiochene martyr, whose feast was also observed in Tarsus and who was afterwards turned into a martyr of Tarsus. Usener's opinion that all these different saints are only a Christian reconstitution of Aphrodite has been completely disproved by Delehaye.
    In addition to St. Pelagia of Antioch, taken from the Syrian martyrology, the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum" also mentions on 11 July a martyr Pelagia, the companion in martyrdom of a Januarius, naming Nicopolis in Armenia as the place of martyrdom, and giving a brief account of this saint. She is plainly a different person from the martyr of Antioch. Her name was included by Bede in his martyrology and was adopted from this into the present Roman list of saints.
    J.P. KIRSCH
    Transcribed by Elizabeth T. Knuth Dedicated to Kate Brady

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pelagia — Pelagia …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pelagia — can refer to:* Saint Pelagia, of Antioch, who leapt to her death from a housetop * Pelagia of Tarsus, who was burnt to death * Sister Pelagia, heroine of novels by Boris Akunin * Agia Pelagia, a fishing village in Greece * Pelagia noctiluca, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Pelagia — mit anderen Kurtisanen. Nonnus betet für sie. Pelagia (Pelagius) (* in Antiochia; † 457 auf dem Ölberg bei Jerusalem) gilt als eine der „großen Büßerinnen“ und wird als Schutzpatronin der Komödianten und Schauspieler verehrt. Ihre Vita wurde auf… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pelagia — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Véase también: Pelagio (desambiguación) El nombre Pelagia puede hacer referencia a: Pelagia de Antioquía, santa y mártir cristiana del siglo IV. Vida de Santa Pelagia, hagiografía del siglo XIV basada en la vida de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pelagia — (Маратокампос,Греция) Категория отеля: Адрес: Kampos Marathokampou, Маратокампос, 83100, Гр …   Каталог отелей

  • Pelagia — Pelagia, Gattung der Hutquallen, s.d. B) a) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Pelagĭa — Pelagĭa, Gattung der Medusen (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Pelagia, St. — Pelagia, St., mit dem Beinamen mima. als Schutzpatronin der Schauspielerinen (bes. in Spanien) verehrt. Wurde durch eine Predigt des hl. Nonnus so zerknirscht, daß sie sich bekehrte und in einer Höhle am Oelberg bei Jerusalem als Einsiedlerin… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Pelagia — PELAGIA, æ, ein Beynamen der Isis, den sie auf einigen Inschriften führet. Gruteri Thes. Inscr. p. 312. Weil einige meynen, daß unter ihr Aegypten verstanden werde, so soll sie diesen Namen daher haben, daß Aegypten gleichsam ein See sey, wenn es …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Pelagia [1] — PELAGIA, æ, ein Beynamen der Venus. Sieh Pontia …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”