Liminal figures:
Pelagia, the holy harlot of early monasticism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24220/2447-6803v50a2025e15278Keywords:
Asceticism, Liminality, Women Monks, PelagiaAbstract
This essay is a presentation of the Vita Pelagia, a hagiography that narrates the story of a prostitute who transforms into a monk between the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Following the text, this essay seeks to show how the transformations undergone by Pelagia, the heroine of our story, result from a personal effort that can be understood as typical of monasticism in this period. Our objective is to highlight how this character is presented as a liminal figure, that is, one who moves between various specific identities and its names: the prostitute Margarete, the bride of Christ Pelagia, and the eunuch monk Pelagius. The aim is to emphasize how she is a figure in metamorphosis, undergoing transformations throughout her life, inhabiting the boundaries of gender and social roles.
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