Golindouch, Golindukht, Golindokht, or Dolindokht (Greek Γολινδούχ, Γολιανδοὺχ) (died 591) was a noble Persian lady who

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

to Christianity, took the name Maria, and became a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

and martyr. She converted from Zoroastrianism to Christianity in the reign of Khosrau I. She was persecuted and tortured under Khosrau I and Hormizd IV, and later she died in the Roman city of

Mabbog Manbij ( ar, مَنْبِج, Manbiǧ, ku, مەنبج, Minbic, tr, Münbiç, Menbic, or Menbiç) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, 30 kilometers (19 mi) west of the Euphrates. In the 2004 census by the Cent ...

(Hierapolis Bambyce) in 591.

Sources

There is a ''Passion'' in Greek by

Eustratios of Constantinople Eustratios or Eustratius ( 582–602) was a hagiographer, theologian and priest of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.Oliver Nicholson, "Eustratius", in Oliver Nicholson (ed.), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity'', Volume 1: A–I (Oxford: Oxford ...

, which may be based on a lost version by

Stephen of Hierapolis Stephen of Hierapolis ( el, Στέφανος, fl. 600) was a bishop of Hierapolis Bambyce, Syria, and the author of a hagiography of St. Golindouch Golindouch, Golindukht, Golindokht, or Dolindokht (Greek Γολινδούχ, Γολιανδοὺ� ...

written in Syriac shortly after her death. The author of this document writes that he heard the facts from persons acquainted with the saint herself, in particular Saint Domitian, her bishop. In Greek, she is known as Αγία Γολινδούχ η Περσίδα που μετονομάστηκε Μαρία, meaning 'Saint Golindouch the Persian who was renamed Maria'. Her

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is July 13. There is also a medieval ''Passion'' in

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

. Theophylact Simocatta discusses Golindouch at length. Evagrius Scholasticus mentions her briefly in his ''Ecclesiastical History'', referring to Stephen of Hierapolis's ''Life'' of Golindouch and called her Golianduch (Γολιανδοὺχ).Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 6.20
/ref>

Notes

Bibliography

* * L. Bardou, "Sainte Golindouch", ''Échos d'Orient'', 4''
18
(October 1900-October 1901) * P. Peeters, "Sainte Golindouch, martyre perse", ''Analecta Bollandiana'' 1944
Imperial power and its subversion in Eustratius of Constantinople's "life and martyrdom of Golinduch" (c. 602)
591 deaths 6th-century births Converts to Christianity from Zoroastrianism 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century Christian martyrs Christians in the Sasanian Empire 6th-century Iranian people Christian female saints of the Middle Ages 6th-century women Persian saints Byzantine people of Iranian descent 6th-century Byzantine people Eastern Orthodox saints {{saint-stub