Mary of Egypt
18th Century Russian icon of St. Mary of Egypt
Venerable (Nun)
Born	ca. 344, Egypt
Died	ca. 421, Trans-Jordan desert, Palestine
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic, Roman Catholic
Feast	Orthodox: 1 April, and fifth Sunday of Great Lent; Roman Catholic: 3 April
Patronage	Chastity (warfare against the flesh; deliverance from carnal passions); Demons (deliverance from); Fever; Skin diseases; Temptations of the flesh [1]
Saints Portal

Venerable^[2] Mary of Egypt (ca. 344 – ca. 421) is revered as the patron saint of penitent women, most particularly in the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, but also in the Roman, Eastern Catholic and Anglican churches. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 508 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (663 × 783 pixel, file size: 484 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Faithful reproductions of two-dimensional original works cannot attract copyright in the U.S. according to the rule in Bridgeman Art Library v. ... The Holy Land or Palestine Showing not only the Old Kingdoms of Judea and Israel but also the 12 Tribes Distinctly, and Confirming Even the Diversity of the Locations of their Ancient Positions and Doing So as the Holy Scriptures Indicate, a geographic map from the studio of Tobiae Conradi... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Eastern Orthodox Church (including Bulgarian... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... Events Emperor Mu succeeds Emperor Kang as emperor of China. ... Events February 8 - Constantius III becomes Co_Emperor of the Western Roman Empire June 7 - Roman Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia, formerly known as Athenais. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Eastern Orthodox Church (including Bulgarian... The term Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only the first three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus — and reject the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

Life

St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, who first recorded the Life of St. Mary.

The primary source of information on Saint Mary of Egypt is the Vita written of her by St. Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem (634 - 638). Most of the information in this section is taken from this source. Image File history File links Sophronius_of_Jerusalem. ... Image File history File links Sophronius_of_Jerusalem. ... Vita or VITA can refer to any of a number of things: Vita (Latin for life) can also refer to a brief biography, often that of a saint (i. ... Sophronius of Jerusalem Sophronius (born 560 in Damascus - died March 11, 638 in Jerusalem) was the Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 until his death. ... The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Events The Arabs invade Palestine. ... Events Islamic calendar introduced The Muslims capture Antioch, Caesarea Palaestina and Akko Births Deaths October 12 - Pope Honorius I Categories: 638 ...

Saint Mary was born somewhere in Egypt, and at the age of twelve ran away to the city of Alexandria where she lived an extremely dissolute life. Some authorities refer to her as a prostitute during this period, but in her Vita she states that she often refused the money offered for her sexual favors. She was, she said, driven "by an insatiable desire and an irrepressible passion," and that she mainly lived by begging, supplemented by spinning flax. Nickname: Alexandria on the map of Egypt Map of Alexandria Coordinates: , Country Egypt Founded 334 BC Government  - Governor Adel Labib Population (2001)  - City 3,500,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Twin Cities  - Baltimore  United States  - Cleveland  United States  - ConstanÅ£a  Romania  - Durban  South Africa... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... A hand-turned spinning wheel in action Cones of yarn for industrial use Spinning is the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials. ... Binomial name Linum usitatissimum Linnaeus. ...

After seventeen years of this lifestyle, she travelled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. She undertook the journey as a sort of "anti-pilgrimage," stating that she hoped to find in the pilgrim crowds at Jerusalem even more partners in her lust. She paid for her passage by offering sexual favors to other pilgrims, and she continued her habitual lifestyle for a short time in Jerusalem. Her Vita relates that when she tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the celebration, she was barred from doing so by an unseen force. Realizing that this was because of her impurity, she was struck with remorse, and on seeing an icon of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) outside the church, she prayed for forgiveness and promised to give up the world (i.e., become an ascetic). Then she attempted again to enter the church, and this time was permitted in. After venerating the relic of the true cross, she returned to the icon to give thanks, and heard a voice telling her, "If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest." She immediately went to the monastery of St. John the Baptist on the bank of the River Jordan, where she received Holy Communion. The next morning, she crossed the Jordan and retired to the desert to live the rest of her life as a hermit. She took with her only three loaves of bread, and once they were gone, lived only on what she could find in the wilderness. For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... // Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church Easter/Pascha The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Easter or Pascha, is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... It has been suggested that Crouchmas be merged into this article or section. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Monument to pilgrims in Burgos, Spain This article is on religious pilgrims. ... The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, called the Church of the Resurrection (Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως, Naos tis Anastaseos; Georgian: აგდგომის ტადზარი Agdgomis Tadzari; Armenian: Surp Harutyun) by Eastern Christians, is a Christian church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. ... Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... The word ascetic derives from the ancient Greek term askesis (practice, training or exercise). ... A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial, Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, some denominations of Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other personal belief systems. ... According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. ... Monastery of St. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ... This article is about the Jordan River in western Asia. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ...

Approximately one year before her death, she recounted her life to St. Zosimas of Palestine^[3] who encountered her in the desert. When he unexpectedly met her in the desert, she was completely naked and almost unrecognizable as human. She asked Zosimas to toss her his mantle to cover herself with, and then she narrated her life's story to him, manifesting marvellous clairvoyance. She asked him to meet her at the banks of the Jordan on Holy Thursday of the following year, and bring her Holy Communion. When he fulfilled her wish, she crossed the river to get to him by walking on the surface of the water and received Holy Communion, telling him to meet her again in the desert the following Lent. The next year, Zosimas travelled to the same spot where he first met her, some twenty day's journey from his monastery, and found her lying there dead. According to an inscription written in the sand next to her head, she had died on the very night he had given her Communion and had been somehow miraculously transported to the place he found her, and her body preserved incorrupt. He buried her body with the assistance of a passing lion. On returning to the monastery he related her life story to the brethren, and it was preserved among them as oral tradition until it was written down by St. Sophronius. Venerable[1] Zosimas of Palestine, also called Zosima, is commemorated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches on April 4. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require restructuring. ... Clairvoyance is defined as a form of radio waves). ... In the Christian calendar, Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday) is the Thursday before Easter, the day on which the Last Supper is said to have occurred. ... Incorruptibility is the property of a (usually human) body that doesnt decompose after death. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Oral tradition or oral culture is a way of transmitting history, literature or law from one generation to the next in a civilization without a writing system. ...

Date of death

There is disagreement among various sources regarding the dates of St. Mary's life. The dates given above correspond to those in the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Bollandists place her death in 421, others give the date of her death as 522 (see Orthodox Wiki article, below), or 530 (see Prolog from Ohrid, April 1). The only clue given in her Vita is the fact that the day of her repose was April 1, which is stated to be Holy Thursday, meaning that Easter fell on April 4 that year. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Events Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius is imprisoned on charges of conspiring against Theoderic. ... Battle of Daras: Belisarius and Hermogenes defeat the Persians in a major battle which blunts a Persian offensive into Roman Mesopotamia. ... In the Christian calendar, Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday) is the Thursday before Easter, the day on which the Last Supper is said to have occurred. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Easter, the Sunday of...

If one consults a perpetual calendar that is keyed to the Julian Calendar (the one in use at the time), one finds that there are 24 years^[4] in the relevant centuries on which April 1 occurs on a Thursday.^[5] Of these, the years on which Easter would fall on April 4 according to the Julian Calendar are: 443, 454, 527, 538, and 549.^[6] A perpetual calendar is a calendar which is good for a span of many years, such as the Runic calendar. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... Events The Burgundians create a kingdom on the banks of the Rhone Attila destroys Naissus. ... Events September 21 - Roman Emperor Valentinian III assassinates Aëtius in his own throne room. ... This article is about the year. ... March 12 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. ... Events Emperor Jinwen succeeds Emperor Wu as ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China. ...

It is notable that the Synaxarion states that Zosimas lived during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger,^[7] who reigned from 408 to 450. According to tradition, Zosimas lived almost a hundred years, dying in the sixth century, and the Vita states that he was fifty-three years old when he met St. Mary. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Theodosius II Flavius Theodosius II (April, 401 - July 28, 450 ). The eldest son of Eudoxia and Arcadius who at the age of 7 became the Roman Emperor of the East. ... Events Theodosius II succeeds his father Arcadius as Emperor of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire In the summer of this year, the usurper Constantine III captures Spain, destroying the loyalist forces defending it. ... Events August 25 - Marcian proclaimed Eastern Roman Emperor by Aspar and Pulcheria. ...

Religious commemoration

The Temple of Portunus in Rome was preserved by being rededicated to Saint Mary of Egypt in 872.

In iconography St. Mary of Egypt is depicted as a deeply tanned, emaciated old woman with unkempt gray hair, either naked or covered by the mantle she borrowed from Zosimas. She is often shown with the three loaves of bread she bought before undertaking her journey into the desert. ImageMetadata File history File links TempleOfPortunus-ForumBoarium. ... ImageMetadata File history File links TempleOfPortunus-ForumBoarium. ... In Roman mythology, Portunes (alternatively spelled Portumnes or Portunus) was a god of keys and doors and livestock. ... Events Battle of Hafrsfjord in Norway, Harald Finehair first king of Norway. ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Her feast day is kept by the Orthodox according to the Fixed Cycle on April 1. On the Moveable Cycle the Orthodox Church also commemorates her on the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, on which day it is customary for the priest to bless dried fruit after the Divine Liturgy. The Life of St. Mary by St. Sophronius is appointed to be read during the Matins of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete on the previous Thursday. The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the cycle of the moveable feast is built around Pascha, or Easter. ... Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a dehydrator. ... The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. ... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services. ... Saint Andrew (Andreas) of Crete (or of Jerusalem) (ca. ...

In the Roman Catholic Church, she is commemorated on April 3 (or April 2, according to the Roman Martyrology). is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs (or, more precisely, of saints), arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. ...

There is a chapel dedicated to her at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, commemorating the moment of her conversion.

In popular culture

Mary of Egypt, by José de Ribera

Some folklore writers have attempted to link Mary of Egypt with the Morris dance. In 1280 Adam de la Halle wrote "Li Gieues de Robin et de Marion" (The Game of Robin and Marion). In the writings of folklorists this merges with the story of Robin Hood and Marion, who become characters associated with May Day games and Morris dancing. The popular Queen of the May custom then becomes a covert way of perpetuating a pagan goddess of love. This theory has recently been proposed by Margaret Allenby-Jaffe in "National Dance" (2006), though several Morris dance websites also mention it. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 476 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2024 × 2548 pixel, file size: 246 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 476 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2024 × 2548 pixel, file size: 246 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Giuseppe Ribera (January 12, 1591 - 1652), commonly called Lo Spagnoletto, or the Little Spaniard, a leading painter of the Neapolitan or partly of the Spanish school, was born near Valencia in Spain, at Xátiva, now named San Felipe. ... Cotswold morris with handkerchiefs A morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied with music. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In Ben Jonson's play "Volpone" (1606) one of the characters uses the expression "Marry Gip". Commentators have taken this to mean "Mary of Egypt". An illustration for an 1898 edition of Volpone by Aubrey Beardsley. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near...

Robert Graves speculates in The White Goddess (1948) that Mary of Egypt can be identified with "Mary Gipsy", a virgin with a blue robe and a pearl necklace. Otherwise know as Marina, Marian or "Maria Stellis". She is supposedly a remote descendant of Aphrodite, the love goddess from the sea. Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, scholar, and novelist. ... The author and poet Robert Graves study of the nature of poetic myth-making, The White Goddess, first published in 1948, and revised, amended and enlarged in 1966, represents a tangential approach to the study of mythology from a decidedly idiosyncratic perspective. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... For other uses, see Aphrodite (disambiguation). ...

Mary of Egypt is the subject of operas by Ottorino Respighi and Sir John Tavener, the latter written in 1992 for the Aldeburgh Festival. The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Elsa and Ottorino Respighi in the 1920s Ottorino Respighi (Bologna, July 9, 1879 - Rome, April 18, 1936) was an Italian composer, musicologist, pianist, violist and violinist. ... John Tavener should not be confused with the sixteenth-century composer John Taverner. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The Aldeburgh Festival is an English festival, largely revolving around classical music. ...

See also

• Hermit

Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ...

Notes

Icon of Ioann of Kronstadt Saint Ioann of Kronstadt (Russian: Иоанн Кронштадтский) (October 19, 1829, Sura, Arkhangelsk - December 20, 1908, Kronstadt) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and member of the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. ... A Stained Glass image of Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli in St. ... A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing an extra day (or, in case of lunisolar calendars, an extra month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical or seasonal year. ... The World Almanac and Book of Facts is a well-known American published reference work which conveys information to the general public about such subjects as world changes, tragedies, sports feats, etc. ... Nikolai Velimirović Photo courtesy of freesrpska. ...

External links

• Original Vita of Saint Mary of Egypt by St. Sophronius, as read in Orthodox churches on Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent
• Saint Mary the Egyptian from the Prologue from Ohrid, April 1
• Mary of Egypt article in Catholic Encyclopedia
• The Golden Legend: The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt (In Persian, with English translation)
• Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: St. Mary of Egypt icon and synaxarion
• Mary of Egypt Orthodox Wiki