Sofia Crushovalieva

Saint Petka: a Balkan Saint: a Case Study on Orthodox Women Saints Sofia Crushovalieva

The objective of this study is to determine the position of women in the Christian tradition, which is found on two levels. First, recognition of women as saints within the Christian church and their canonization within the frame of often times open misogynist attitudes towards women. And second, graphic representation of holy women in their lives (used for centuries as basic reading of the lay population) reflected traces of gender inequality and once more of misogyny. In its last part, the work presents the case study of St. Petka-Paraskeva as one of the most prominent holy women on the Balkan Peninsula, within the Orthodox Church. Women saints can be considered problematic within a strict patriarchal frame. Their presence in Christianity as strong and charismatic figures can be considered challenging and subverting the oral and written tradition of the church. By adopting a reformist feminist perspective, I offer a possibility for future research within traditional Orthodox Theology which leaves the floor open for research in the field of women?s hagiography.