This paper examines one of the most popular concepts of women in older Croatian literature: the virgin and martyr. The theoretical framework considers the Christian tradition, specifically the religious discourse on virginity from patristic writers such as Jerome, Gregory of Nyssa, and Ambrose, medieval discussions on virginity, and up to Butler's theory of gender performativity and the principles of feminist theology. The paper analyzes the construction of the "weaker" sex and connects the ideal of virginity with the figure of the Virgin Mary, with special attention given to the figure of virginity in early hagiographic literature: virago or femina virilis. Furthermore, it attempts to answer whether virgins are included in the category of women. The aim of the paper is to establish how virginity is perceived in older Croatian literary culture and the suffering endured to preserve it. The corpus analyzed includes medieval saintly legends such as those of St. Margaret, St. Juliana, St. Euphrosyne, St. Catherine, and the miracle of the girl without eyes who endured martyrdom for their faith. The analytical corpus also includes the moral-theological manual Upućivanje u čestit život po primjerima svetaca by Marko Marulić (1450-1524), which celebrates virgins as exemplary practitioners of virtue, Libarce od djevstva i djevičkoga bitja by Bazilije Gradić (1510-1585) intended for Dubrovnik's nuns, and the hagiographies of Christian saints Život nikoliko izabranih divic by Faust Vrančić (1551-1617), Perivoj od djevstva and the tragedy Sveta Venefrida by Bartol Kašić (1575-1650).