RELIGIOUS FIGURE

Mary of Egypt

344 - 421

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Mary of Egypt (Greek: Μαρία ἡ Αἰγυπτία; Coptic: Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ Ⲛⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ; Egyptian Arabic: مريم المصرية/ماريا المصرية; Amharic/Geez: ቅድስት ማርያም ግብፃዊት; Latin: Maria Aegyptiaca) was an Egyptian grazer saint, said to have dwelled in Byzantine-era Palestine in the 5th century AD (in late antiquity / Early Middle Ages). The hagiographyThe Life of Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt tells her life story through the framing device of her encounter with the hieromonk Zosimas of Palestine near the Jordan River. Mary recounts to Zosimas debauched life of lust so great she traveled from Alexandria to Jerusalem seeking to seduce pilgrims traveling to the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Arriving at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre she encounters the power of an icon of the Mary the mother of Jesus barring her entrance. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 35 in 2024). Mary of Egypt is the 477th most popular religious figure (up from 533rd in 2024), the 71st most popular biography from Egypt (up from 98th in 2019) and the 13th most popular Egyptian Religious Figure.

Mary of Egypt is most famous for being a prostitute who converted to Christianity and became a saint.

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Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES

Among religious figures, Mary of Egypt ranks 477 out of 3,187. Before her are Barabbas, Zacchaeus, Sabbatai Zevi, Alphonsus Liguori, Eber, and Tarcisio Bertone. After her are Isaac of Nineveh, Januarius, Gregory Palamas, Amenhotep I, Pope Agapetus II, and Yasuke.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 344, Mary of Egypt ranks 1. After her is Wang Xianzhi. Among people deceased in 421, Mary of Egypt ranks 1. After her are Constantius III, Yazdegerd I, and Emperor Gong of Jin.

Others Born in 344

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Others Deceased in 421

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In Egypt

Among people born in Egypt, Mary of Egypt ranks 71 out of 642. Before her are Apollonius of Rhodes (-295), Dorothy Hodgkin (1910), Saint Sarah (100), Sextus Empiricus (160), Tiye (-1398), and Ayman al-Zawahiri (1951). After her are Ptolemy VIII Physcon (-182), Arsinoe III of Egypt (-246), Appian (95), Sayyid Qutb (1906), Saint Apollonia (110), and Constantine P. Cavafy (1863).

Others born in Egypt

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Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Egypt

Among religious figures born in Egypt, Mary of Egypt ranks 13. Before her are Joshua (-1355), Seti I (-1323), Pachomius the Great (292), Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (250), Saint Sarah (100), and Tiye (-1398). After her are Saint Apollonia (110), Moses the Black (332), Saint Menas (285), Paul of Thebes (227), Meritaten (-1400), and Maria al-Qibtiyya (600).

Egyptian born Religious Figures

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