Saint Pelagia (Pelagia) was born in Antioch in Syria and was a frivolous and licentious maiden before her conversion to Christ. Having a very attractive appearance, she decorated herself with luxurious clothes, gold and precious stones, for which her fans called her Margarita, i.e. pearl.
One day, the bishops of neighboring dioceses gathered in Antioch for a council. Among them was Nonnus, Bishop of Iliopolis, known for his wisdom and righteous life. During the break, the bishops left the church where they were sitting, and suddenly a noisy crowd of young men appeared in front of them. Among them, one girl stood out for her beauty, with bare shoulders and immodestly dressed. It was Pelagia. She was joking and laughing loudly, and the fans were swarming around her. The embarrassed bishops lowered their gazes, while Saint Nonnus, on the contrary, began to stare intently at Pelagia. When the noisy crowd had left, Nonne asked the bishops, "Didn't you like the beauty of this woman and her outfit?" They were silent. Then Nonne continued, "And I learned a lot from her. She made it her goal to please people, and how many hours do you think she spent decorating herself, taking care to appear more beautiful than other women in the eyes of her admirers! At the Last Judgment, the Lord will condemn us with it, because we, having an immortal Bridegroom in Heaven, neglect the state of our soul. What are we going to face Him with?"
Arriving at the hotel, Saint Nonnus began to pray fervently for Pelagia's salvation. The following Sunday, when Nonnus celebrated the Divine Liturgy, Pelagia, attracted by a mysterious force, came to the temple for the first time. The divine service and the sermon of Saint Nonnus about the Last Judgment so shocked her that she was horrified by her sinful life. When she came to Nonna, she expressed a desire to be baptized, but she was not sure if the Lord would have mercy on her: "My sins are more numerous than the sand of the sea, and there is no water in the sea to wash away my evil deeds." The good shepherd comforted her with the hope of God's mercy and baptized her.
After becoming a Christian, Pelagia gathered her possessions and brought Nonna. Nonnus ordered it to be distributed to the poor, saying: "Let the ill-collected be wisely spent." A few days later, Pelagia, dressed in men's clothes, left the city. She went to Jerusalem and took monastic vows here. She was mistaken for a young man. Having established a cell on the Mount of Olives, she shut herself up in it and began to lead a harsh monastic life in repentance, fasting and prayer. The inhabitants of the surrounding area considered her to be Monk Pelagius, a eunuch. After several years, having achieved high spiritual gifts, Monk Pelagius died around the year 457. At the funeral, it was discovered that the deceased monk was a woman.