According to tradition, Diocletian's son, the heir to the throne, fell in love with her and wanted to marry Pelagia.

She was then burnt to death, and her flesh melted and smells of myrrh pervaded throughout Rome.

There is little historical base to the story, as 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.

[citation needed] More probably, commemorations of the historical martyr Pelagia at Tarsus were probably embellished and given a local setting at some point.