The Hagiological Study of the Biography of Ayia Elesa

Hagiology is the study of biographies attesting to the holy lives of saints. There are a variety of methods practiced by scholars in order to recognize relevant information from these accounts. Nevertheless, historians must frequently consider unverified sources to gather any information about earlier saints. A method not prevalent is examining these texts from a literary perspective, which would help retain information such as themes attributed to gender in holy biographies. The purpose of my research project is to explore what literary motifs are common to sources describing the lives of female saints from late antiquity to early medieval history. In particular, I focus on a saint venerated by the Greek Orthodox Church. Ayia Elesa is a fourth century saint celebrated on the island of Kythera off the coast of mainland Greece. Although Elesa's year of death is stated in 375 A.D., the original biography is authored around the seventeenth century. Elements of her biography mimic prior texts of other saints in early Christianity. Using Elesa's account as an example, I discuss how hagiographers were influenced by prior stories of other saints, which created genres within hagiography. Instead of drawing out historical accuracy of described people and events, I investigate the historical relevance of common literary trends and plots constructed in these stories.No embargoAcademic Major: Histor