St. Pelagia (5th century) was an actress from Phoenicia who had a reputation throughout Asia Minor as a great lady of the stage and as a woman whose virtues were far from pure. It was reported that her stage appearances were rather lurid. One writer commented that nothing was more vile than her stage performances. It was said that men could not refuse her advances and squandered their estates on her. Pelagia even once seduced the Empress' brother.
Suddenly, Pelagia asked for baptism, entered the convent and lived a holy life until she died.
Another legend proposes that her conversion came while listening to a sermon by St. Nonnus, bishop of Heliopolis. The bishop spoke of God's great mercy and supposedly Pelagia was suddenly filled with such self-loathing that she began to weep bitterly and after the service, sought out St. Nonnus and begged him to make her a Christian. According to the legend, after this event Pelagia lived as a hermit on the Mount of Olives disguised as a man.
(This item originally appeared in The Providence Visitor)
