[1] Hagiographer Sabine Baring-Gould states that Theodora's story might have been embellished and that her biography was probably pieced together from the lives of other saints, such as Marina the Monk, another 5th century Byzantine saint who also lived as a male among monks, was accused of the same things as Theodora, and was vindicated after her death.

[2][3] According to one source, Theodora was "adorned with physical beauty and was devoted to her pious husband",[4] but made the mistake of betraying him.

[4] She clothed herself as a male, called herself "Theodore", and disguising herself as a eunuch, lived for the rest of her life as a monk at a monastery in the Thebaid.

[1][6][5][7] She practiced ascetism, did menial tasks, and prayed fervently to be forgiven by God and be restored to chastity.

[4][7] A rare image of Theodora in Western art is a print by Bernardino Capitelli, made in 1627 for Theodora Costa dal Pozzo, showing the saint disguised as a monk and caring for the child she was accused of fathering (Vienna: Graphische Sammlung Albertina).