Theodora of Alexandria | |
---|---|
Desert Mother | |
Venerated in |
Eastern Orthodox Church,
Oriental Orthodox Church,
Roman Catholic Church
[1] Episcopal Church |
Feast | 11
Parmouti (
Coptic Christianity)
[2] 11 September 5 January (Episcopal Church) |
Theodora of Alexandria was a saint and Desert Mother who was married to a prefect of Egypt. In order to perform penance for adultery, she disguised herself as a man and, pretending to be a eunuch, joined a monastery in the Thebaid. [3] Her true identity as a woman was discovered only after her death. [4]
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, and Syncletica) on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America [6] on 5 January. [7]