caption death_date feast_day imagesize venerated_in image article_title name
miniature from the '' menologion of basil ii '' reputedly in the early 4th century may 4 250px eastern orthodox church roman catholic church pelagia . jpg of tarsus -lrb- menologion of basil ii -rrb- pelagia of tarsus
 saint pelagia
pelagia of tarsus

according to christian legend , pelagia of tarsus -lrb- d. early 4th century -rrb- is a saint and martyr who lived in tarsus in the cilicia region of asia minor during the reign of roman emperor diocletian .
she is likely based on saint pelagia of antioch .
according to tradition , diocletian 's son , the heir to the throne , fell in love with her and wanted to marry pelagia .
she replied that she could not , because she had sworn to preserve her virginity and was wedded to christ .
in his sorrow , diocletian 's son killed himself .
pelagia was sent to rome by her pagan mother , where diocletian asked her to become his wife .
she refused , calling the emperor insane .
she was then burnt to death , and her flesh melted and smells of myrrh pervaded throughout rome .
by some versions , she was burned within a brazen bull .
the story concludes by relating that the pagans sent four lions to surround her bones , but instead they protected her bones from vultures and crows until a christian bishop could recover them .
there is little historical base to the story , as in fact diocletian had a daughter , valeria , but no sons - a fact of considerable importance to the history of his reign .
however , he did carry out the last intensive persecution of christians in roman history , many of whose victims were indeed burned alive .
thus , pelagia might have been an actually martyr of that time , even if under different circumstances than those recounted in the later story .
constantine the great built a church on the reputed site of her remains .
