Thecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα, Thékla) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle.

According to the text, Thecla was a young noble virgin from Iconium who chose to leave her fiancé so she could convert to Christianity and follow Paul.

[3] In the text, it is said that Thecla spent three days sitting by her window, listening to Paul speak about the Christian God and the importance of living in chastity.

Paul was sent to prison, where Thecla visited him, kissed his bonds, and refused to leave him and return to her mother and fiancé.

[8] According to some versions of the Acts, Thecla lived in a cave in Seleucia Cilicia for 72 years, where she continued to spread Christianity.

[10]Johann Peter Kirsch says, "Notwithstanding the purely legendary character of the entire story, it is not impossible that it is connected with an historical person.

[14] Around AD 280, Thecla features as one of the characters in Methodius of Olympus' Symposium, in which she displays considerable knowledge of secular philosophy, various branches of literature, and eloquent yet modest discourse.

Methodius states that she received her instruction in divine and evangelical knowledge from Paul, and was eminent for her skill in sacred science ("Logos 8").

The exordium of the Acts of Polyeuctes (died 259) refers to Thecla and Perpetua, and there were certainly many virgin martyrs who drew their first inspiration from the same source.

Her veneration flourished particularly at Seleucia Cilicia (where she was said to have lived to old age and be buried), Iconium (present day Konya), and Nicomedia.

It was restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Aya Tekla Church or Meriamlik.

[24] In Maaloula, Syria, a Greek Orthodox nunnery, the Convent of Saint Thecla, was built near her cave tomb, reached by steps in the mountainside, a pilgrimage site with a holy well.

After the Mamluks had taken control of Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, part of the hallows of Saint Thecla were carried to Cyprus by Christians.

[30] In June 2010, on a wall of the Catacomba di Santa Tecla in Rome, Vatican archaeologists of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, using laser technology to remove layers of clay and lime rind, discovered a frescoed portrait of St Paul the Apostle, "recognizable by his thin face and dark pointed beard... with small eyes and furrowed brow",[31] which they believe is the oldest image in existence of Paul, dating from the late 4th century.

[32] St. Thecla, with her dedication and image of a chosen saint, started a following of masses of women across Asia Minor and Egypt.

[34] Thecla is counted as the patron saint of Tarragona and Sitges in Catalonia (Spain), where the cathedral has a chapel dedicated to her.

[35] In Spanish-speaking countries, she is also facetiously counted as the patron saint of computers and Internet, from the homophony with the Spanish and Catalan word tecla ("key").

In the United States there are three Roman Catholic parishes named for Saint Thecla: in Clinton, Michigan; in Pembroke, Massachusetts; and in Chicago, Illinois.