 A church council in Antioch was passed by the entourage of the town's most famous courtesan Margarita ("Pearl"), which caused Nonnus to condemn his audience and himself for taking less care of their souls than she had of her body.She appeared at his next Sunday sermon and Nonnus's sermon on hell prompted her to repent.She wrote him a letter and was permitted to see him with other witnesses; convinced of her sincerity, he took her confession and baptized her by her birth name Pelagia.