Thaïs was a fourth-century courtesan from Alexandria who later became a Christian hermit in the Egyptian desert. According to hagiographic accounts, she underwent a spiritual transformation after being confronted by a monk, who is variously identified as Paphnutius, Bessarion, or Serapion. Following her conversion, she sought penance through a period of solitude in a desert cell. She is remembered for her transition from a life of worldly luxury to one of religious devotion, eventually dying after a brief time living among desert nuns.