Lydia of Thyatira
1st‑century Lydian merchant of purple cloth, Christian saint, early European convert to Christianity mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles
Feast: 20 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Commemoration of Saint Lydia, who, a dealer in purple cloth at Philippi in Macedonia, today in Greece, listening to the preaching of Saint Paul the Apostle, was the first of all to believe in the Gospel.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers her on 20 May as the purple-cloth dealer at Philippi who was the first to believe Saint Paul's preaching there.
Connected on this site
- Paul the Apostle Saint Teacher“Commemoration of Saint Lydia, who, a dealer in purple cloth at Philippi in Macedonia, today in Greece, listening to the preaching of Saint Paul the Apostle, was the first of all to believe in the Gospel.” — this site's research
- Roman Martyrology, 20 May (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q292282 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Lydia of Thyatira (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.