Saint Penelope of Mopsuestia

In an Orthodox Church in Romania, the vampires Margaret and Penelope lit candles before an icon of a female saint. The icon portrayed a young woman with brown hair, wearing red and white. This was the saint to whom the church was dedicated.

Margaret kissed the icon. Penelope did the same, before taking a second glance at it.

"It doesen't look much like me," said Penelope.

"Portraiture is forbidden in icons. They are not supposed to look realistic," replied Margaret. Being back in her home country and among Orthodox Christians, something of her Romanian accent was coming back in her voice.

"If you had not paid for the founding of this church, St. Penelope of Mopsuestia would have remained long forgotten. I rather wish she was. It's embarassing to think I'm a living saint and the congregation at this church actually pray to my 'departed spirit.' It is a little too much," said Penelope.

"The Orthodox Church regards you as a saint, even if your cult has been forgotten. I think it deserves to be kept alive," insisted Margaret.


Penelope remembered the day she became a saint and confessor, the victim of the Dicoletian persecution. She remembered well the day her daughter-in-darkness turned on her.


"Bring out the Christian," cried the young aristocratic Roman woman.

Somehow she had goaded the mob into a frenzy and they were hungry for blood.

Penelope was dragged out onto the dusty streets of Mopsuestia. She could have resisted the warm men and women who had laid their hands on her, but she had seen other Christian women maryted for their faith. She was not about to shrink back from the death to which they had gone willingly.

Julia was aware of her mother-in-darkness' lack of fear and it angered her. She could incite these men and women to turn on the elder vampire, but she could not break her spirit.

Penelope looked at her daughter-in-darkness with pain and sadness. Did Julia hate the Christian faith so much that she betray her so?

"She must be bound in silver chains!" commanded Julia.

The crowd were puzzled as to why the prisoner should be so bound, but they obliged, fastening Penelope with the silver chains provided by Julia.

Penelope winced with pain as the metal was pressed against her flesh.

"This woman must die," proclaimed Julia. "She has forsaken the old gods and embraced the false faith of Christ who was crucified. She is an enemy of the Roman peace. By the command of the Emperor Diocletian, all Christians must die!"

The crowd roared in agreement.

"She must be burned to death!"

The people cheered, their minds filled with the desire to see death.

A huge bonfire was lit, with piles of wood. Bound in her chains, Penelope was cast onto it.

Penelope looked at the crowd.

"I go to my Saviour Jesus Christ. May he have mercy on you all. But beware this woman. She is not what she seems," protested the Christian woman.

The crowd laughed and jeered at Penelope.

"Fire! Destroy her!" cried Julia.

The fire was lit and Penelope began to cry out in anger. They watched pitilessly as her skin blackened.

Yet Penelope did not fall down dead. She remained standing on the bonfire on which she had been thrust.

Julia gasped in surprise. She had not realised that her mother-in-darkness was strong enough to resist the flames.

Then Penelope stepped out of the fire, her skin still ruined.

Terrified at the woman's impossible survival, the crowd turned and fled. Julia also ran, fearing the vengeance of her mother-in-darkness.

Some of those at the outskirts of the crowd were Christians who had kept their faith secret. They quickly spread the news of the miracle they had seen.

A legend was born of the rich widow of Mopsuestia who had been miraculously saved from fire. Julia was remembered too. According to some versions of the tale she was a relative of Penelope, according to others she was her adopted daughter. According to some accounts, Julia was torn to pieces by a savage wolf. According to others, she was destroyed by an angel who appeared as a pillar of smoke.

Yet the church had many legends of saints and martyrs. The legend of St. Penelope of Mopsuestia was not passed on as so many others were. For many Christians, the story of the confessor of Mopsuestia was too fanciful to be true.


Penelope looked at Margaret, her daughter-in-darkness.

"I have always admired the fact that you kept to the Orthodox faith. You were turned into a vampire and you lived for two centuries among Protestants, yet you are still Orthodox," commented Penelope.

"I have never liked change. Why should I change my religion?" answered Margaret. "I don't know how much I believe. I'm not sure my faith is as strong as yours. But I will never give up the faith of my country and my people," she said making the sign of the cross, in Orthodox style.

"Perhaps one day you will also be remembered as a saint," suggested Penelope.