Harlots of the Desert

Stories of conversion have always attracted mankind's attention, and this was especially so among the monks of the ancient and medieval world. In the literature of fourth-century Egypt, alongside the wise sayings of the Desert Fathers and the stories illustrating their way of life, there are also the accounts of the lives of the harlots, Pelagia, Maria, Thaïs, Mary of Egypt and a number of lesser figures, all of which were copied, translated and retold througout the Middle Ages. This is a commen...