St. Thecla of Iconium

  Posted on September 23, 2020  by admin  No comments

Died: late 1st century of natural causes, buried in Seleucia, Pamphylia, Anatolia (in modern Turkey) 

First century convert in Iconium, brought to the faith by the preaching of Saint Paul the Apostle; her family threw her out. She dedicated herself to God, became a spiritual student of Saint Paul, and assisted him in his travels and works. She was thrown to wild animals as a Christian, but survived; she was sentenced to burn at the stake, but managed to escape. 

In her later years she retired to live as a hermitess. Because of her sufferings for the the faith, she is considered a martyr though she survived the attempts to kill her. She is mentioned the Prayers for the Dying. She was the subject several fantastic apochryphal writings in the early Church.