Anastasia the Patrician

Saint Anastasia the Patrician (Anastasia Patricia) was the wife of a consul and a lady-in-waiting to the Byzantine empress Theodora. Justinian I, Theodora's husband, pursued her, arousing Theodora's jealousy. Anastasia tried to avoid any trouble and left for Egypt. She arrived at a place called Pempton, near Alexandria, where she founded a monastery which would later be named after her. 
Following the death of Theodora in 548, Justianian attempted to get Anastasia to return to Constantinople, to no avail. Instead, Anastasia left for Scetis, looking for Apa Daniel, hegumen of the monastery at that time. He put her in a monastery cell 18 miles from Scetis where she was allowed to dress as a monk and take up the life of a hermit; at a time when this was only permitted of men. He visited her every week and ensured that one of his disciples supplied her with water. 
In 576, 28 years after her arrival at Scetis, the disciple found an ostracon with the words "Bring the spades and come here." When Daniel heard this, he knew Anastasia was near death. He went to visit her with his disciple and to give her communion and hear her last words. Daniel revealed the full details of her story to his disciple after her death. 
Her story comes to us in one recension of the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion and by a tale of Daniel of Scetis. Her feast day is 10 March in the Eastern Orthodox, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, and on 26 Tobi in the calendar of the Coptic Church. She has been recognised by the modern-day LGBT community as an example of a transgender saint.
==References==
* Atiya, Aziz S. The Coptic Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1991. ISBN 002897025X
==External links==
*Anastasia at Patron Saints Index
*Anastasia at Catholic Online
Category:6th-century births
Category:576 deaths
Category:Women of the Byzantine empire
Category:Eastern Orthodox saints
Category:Byzantine hermits
Category:6th-century Byzantine people
Category:LGBT issues and religion
Category:6th-century Christian female saints
Category:Eastern Catholic saints
bg:Анастасия Патрикия
es:Anastasia de Roma
pl:Anastazja Patrycjuszka
sr:Анастасија Патриција