Upon the discovery that the renowned monk had been a woman, the holy fathers tried to keep it a secret, but the gossip spread and her relics drew pilgrims from as far off as Jericho and the Jordan valley.

[4] Pelagia's story is attributed to James[5][6] or Jacob[7][6] (Latin: Jacobus), deacon of the church of Heliopolis (modern Baalbek).

[6] Perfumed and "immodestly bareheaded", the outlines of her body were "clearly visible" beneath her gold cloth, pearls, and precious stones, which ran from her bare shoulders to her feet.

She had two of her slaves trail Nonnus to his residence and then wrote him on wax tablets, calling herself "sinful" and a "servant of the devil" but seeking mercy from God, who "came down to earth not for the sake of the righteous but to save sinners".

She went to the basilica of Saint Julian to see them; when Nonnus demanded surety that she would not return to her former life, she fell to the ground and threatened that if she were refused admission to the Church, all her future sins would be held against him at his judgment.

[6] The devil shortly afterward arrived to complain, but was driven off when Pelagia made the Sign of the Cross and breathed upon him.

[9] Upon the discovery that the renowned monk had been a woman, the "holy fathers" tried to keep it a secret, but the gossip spread and her relics drew pilgrims from as far off as Jericho and the Jordan valley.

[6] The Latin and Syriac translation states that the narrator, James, visits Pelagia one time before she died, encouraged by the Bishop Nonnus.

Some feminist scholars view the transformation Pelagia underwent, changing into the ascetic monk, Pelagios/Pelagius as ancient representation of gender non-conformity and trans identity.

[18] Saint Marina, the Latin equivalent of "Pelagia", was a bride who disguised herself as a monk, in her case to escape an unwanted marriage.

Chrysostom's c. 390 sermon also mentions an anonymous (but apparently famous) actress and prostitute "from a wicked city in Phoenice" (possibly Heliopolis) who seduced "the empress's brother" but converted "in our own day".