Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 25 - Margaret of Antioch

As with many of the early saints, much of what is written about Margaret is said to be fictitious, though with her at least one story was said to be as such pretty much from the start. Margaret was said to be the daughter of a pagan priest who, raised by a Christian nurse, opted for the new religion and moved with her to the country. When a local governor wanted to marry Margaret, but said she'd need to revert to paganism, she refused, leading to various tortures (many of which would result in miracles) before she was martyred.

One of the tortures was reportedly being fed to Satan in the guise of a dragon, The cross Margaret wore irritated the dragon's insides, resulting in Margaret being regurgitated unharmed. The recounting of the story in the Golden Legend lives of the saints says this story is "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously." Further evidence that Margaret wasn't real is her also being referred to as Marina, suggesting she's a version of the Greek Saint Pelagia, and perhaps even influenced by the story of Aphrodite.

Pope Gelasius I declared Margaret apocryphal in 494, but she continued to be venerated, most notably in England, as the Council of Oxford added her to a list of feast days in 1222. She also gained popularity during the Crusades, and was said to have promised great indulgences for anyone who wrote or read her life story. Pretty good staying power for a saint that may never have existed.

(Note that she should not be confused with Margaret of Scotland, of whom there is plenty in the historical record.)