Theodora of Alexandria (Greek: Θεοδώρα Άλεξανδρείας) was a saint and martyr who lived during the 5th century in Alexandria, during the reign of Emperor Zeno.[1] Hagiographer Sabine Baring-Gould states that Theodora's story might have been embellished and that her biography was probably pieced together from the lives of other saints, such as Marina the Monk, another 5th-century Byzantine saint who also lived as a male among monks, was accused of the same things as Theodora, and was vindicated after her death.[2][3]
Theodora of Alexandria | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miniature of Saint Theodora in the Menologion of Basil II (11c.) | |
| Desert Mother | |
| Born | 5th century |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church |
| Feast | 11 September 5 January (Episcopal Church) |
_-_BEIC_IE4411197.jpg)
According to one source, Theodora was "adorned with physical beauty and was devoted to her pious husband",[4] but made the mistake of betraying him. According to legend, her husband was Gregory (or Paphnutius), prefect of Egypt and "a devout and respectable man",[5] whom she left "out of remorse for the adultery that she committed with another man"[1] and "to do penance for a sin she had committed",[6] so that her husband would not find her.[4] She clothed herself as a male, called herself "Theodore", and disguising herself as a eunuch, lived for the rest of her life as a monk at a monastery in the Thebaid.[1][6][5][7] She practiced ascetism, did menial tasks, and prayed fervently to be forgiven by God and be restored to chastity.[5] According to Baring-Gould, Theodora was "sent with some camels to Alexandria" to Gregory, who recognized her as his wife.[7] She insisted upon returning, though, and lived as a hermit and ascetic for the rest of her life.[3]
After two years, someone accused Theodora of fathering a child with a woman from a nearby village; instead of defending herself and revealing her identity, she accepted being expelled from the monastery for seven years and in "extreme poverty",[5] raised the child as her own. She continued her asceticism and continued to raise the child until she died. Her identity as a woman was not discovered and the slander against was not revealed until after her death.[1][4][5][6] She sent for her husband when she realized that she was dying, but he did not arrive until after her death; her husband attended her funeral, distributed his possessions to the poor, and moved into the monastery.[4][7]
A rare image of Theodora in Western art is a print by Bernardino Capitelli, made in 1627 for Theodora Costa dal Pozzo, showing the saint disguised as a monk and caring for the child she was accused of fathering (Vienna: Graphische Sammlung Albertina).[8]
Theodora is honored with a Lesser Feast (with Sarah of the Desert and Syncletica of Alexandria) on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on 5 January[9] and on 11 September in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[1]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 "Theodora the Martyr of Alexandria". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. New York. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ↑ Baring-Gould 1898, pp. 172–173.
- 1 2 Butler, Alban (1981). Thurston, Herbert J.; Attwater, Donald (eds.). Butler's Lives of the Saints. Vol. 1. Westminster, Maryland: Christian Classics. p. 538. ISBN 0-87061-0457. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 "Memory of Saint Theodora of Alexandria". Orthodox Times. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "September 11: Our Holy Mother Theodora of Alexandria". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 Delaney, John J. Dictionary of Saints (2nd ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 590. ISBN 0-385-51520-0. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 Baring-Gould 1898, p. 172.
- ↑ Bonaccorso, Patrizia (1985). Bernardino Capitelli, 1589–1639. Siena: Edisiena. pp. 32–38.
- ↑ "Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018". The General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
Works cited
edit- Baring-Gould, Sabine (1898). The Lives of the Saints. Vol. 10. J. C. Nimmo. pp. 172–173. Retrieved 4 May 2024.