Theodora of Alexandria
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, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church |
| Feast | 11 September 5 January (Episcopal Church) |
Theodora of Alexandria was a saint and martyr who lived during the 5th century in Alexandria, during the reign of Emperor Zeno.[1]
According to one source, Theodora was "adorned with physical beauty and was devoted to her pious husband",[2] 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",[3] 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",[4] so that her husband would not find her.[2] 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][4][3] She practiced ascetism, did menial tasks, and prayed fervently to be forgiven by God and be restored to chastity.[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",[3] 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][2][3][4] After she died, her husband attended her funeral, distributed his possessions to the poor, and moved into the monastery.[2]
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).[5]
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[6] and on 11 September in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Theodora the Martyr of Alexandria". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. New York. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Memory of Saint Theodora of Alexandria". Orthodox Times. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "September 11: Our Holy Mother Theodora of Alexandria". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Delaney, John J. Dictionary of Saints (2nd ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 590. ISBN 0-385-51520-0. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ 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.
- Eastern Orthodox saints
- Late Ancient Christian female saints
- 5th-century Christian saints
- 5th-century Byzantine people
- Byzantine female saints
- Cross-dressing saints
- Roman-era Alexandrians
- Saints from Roman Egypt
- Byzantine saints
- 5th-century Byzantine women
- 5th-century Egyptian people
- 5th-century Egyptian women
- Anglican saints