Thecla

Who they were

Thecla of Iconium is known only from the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, written around 180. They tell that she was a virgin of Iconium converted by St Paul's preaching and consecrated to God, saved by miracles from the stake and from the wild beasts, who went with Paul and proclaimed the Gospel, and died at Seleucia.

Though the story is legendary, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that it may well rest on a real woman of Iconium converted by Paul who worked in the Christian mission. She has been widely venerated, above all in the East, as the first woman martyr.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Thecla has been honoured as a saint since the early centuries. Her Acts are apocryphal.

Why that counted as sanctity

Thecla is honoured as a woman who gave herself entirely to Christ at St Paul's preaching and spread the Gospel at the risk of her life.

Connected on this site

• Paul the Apostle Saint
  “Thecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα, Thékla) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle.” — Wikipedia