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

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

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" ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

, took the name Maria, and became a saint and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

. She converted from

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ont ...

to Christianity in the reign of

Khosrau I Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...

. She was persecuted and tortured under

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 Ce ...

(Hierapolis Bambyce) in 591.

Sources

There is a ''Passion'' in Greek by Eustratios of Constantinople, 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 A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulato ...

written in

Syriac Syriac may refer to: * Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages ...

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 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 script ...

Theophylact Simocatta Theophylact Simocatta (Byzantine Greek: Θεοφύλακτος Σιμοκάτ(τ)ης ''Theophýlaktos Simokát(t)ēs''; la, Theophylactus Simocatta) was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian o ...

discusses Golindouch at length.

Evagrius Scholasticus Evagrius Scholasticus ( el, Εὐάγριος Σχολαστικός) was a Syrian scholar and intellectual living in the 6th century AD, and an aide to the patriarch Gregory of Antioch. His surviving work, ''Ecclesiastical History'' (), comprise ...

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