Righteous5th century

Blessed Thais of Egypt

fifth century

Also known as Taisia of Egypt · Taisia

A wealthy orphan of Egypt who spent her inheritance receiving and serving the poor, monks, and pilgrims, and at last gave herself wholly to Christ.

May 10New Calendar

Feast Day

May 23Old Calendar

Suggest a correction Contribute

Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere

Commemorated as

The Blessed Thais of Egypt

Life

Blessed Thais of Egypt was a righteous woman of the fifth century, commemorated on May 10. Left an orphan after the death of her wealthy parents, she inherited a considerable estate, which she devoted to charity: the synaxarion relates that she distributed her wealth to the poor and gave shelter to pilgrims on her property. Resolving never to marry, she set herself to serve Christ.

Thais is to be distinguished from the better-known Venerable Thais the Penitent of Egypt, commemorated on October 8. The two share a name, an Egyptian setting, and a tradition of repentance, and have at times been conflated; the Orthodox Church in America preserves them as separate commemorations on separate days.

According to the tradition recorded in the synaxarion, after Thais had exhausted her inheritance she was tempted to acquire wealth by sinful means and fell from her earlier piety. The elders of Sketis near Alexandria, hearing of her fall, sent Saint John the Dwarf to call her back. His words pierced her soul, and she abandoned her former life at once to follow him into the wilderness in penitence and prayer.

The synaxarion relates that on the very night of her repentance a light descended from heaven and angels were seen bearing her soul to Paradise; she was found to have died. An angel is said to have told John that her single hour of wholehearted repentance was equal to many years, because she had repented with all her soul and a contrite heart.

Kontakion & Troparion3 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “Having received the grace...“) Because of your love of God you forsook a bed for rest, O Mother Thais,
you illumined your soul with fasting, thoroughly vanquishing your enemies;
but by your intercessions destroy the evil designs of our adversaries.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe!
O our holy mother Thais, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 8

In you the image was preserved with exactness, O Mother,
for taking up your cross, you followed after Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, most venerable Mother Thais your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

A Distinct Commemoration

Two women named Thais are venerated in the Egyptian tradition, and the resemblance of their stories has led to frequent confusion. The Thais commemorated on May 10 is remembered first for her charity — an orphaned heiress who spent her fortune on the poor, on monks, and on pilgrims before any account of her fall. The Penitent Thais commemorated on October 8 is remembered chiefly for her conversion from a life of sin and her enclosure in penitence. The Orthodox Church in America lists them as two saints on two days, and this profile follows that distinction.

Repentance and Repose

The narrative of Thais's recall through Saint John the Dwarf belongs to the wider tradition of the Egyptian desert, in which the elders of Sketis intervened to restore the fallen. The synaxarion frames her end as a sign of the power of sincere repentance: a brief but total turning of the heart, answered by an immediate reception into Paradise. The saying attributed to the angel — that her one hour of repentance outweighed many years — is repeated as the moral of her life.

Companions2 figuresShowHide

The desert elder of Sketis sent to call Thais to repentance; commemorated Nov 9.

Venerable Johnthe Short

A distinct saint of the same name and region, commemorated Oct 8; the two are sometimes conflated.

Venerable Thaisof Egypt

Related SaintsShowHide

Browse other saints who share her calling and place.

More Egypt152 More Byzantine Saints1282

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints