Massenet’s opera Thaïs, set in Roman Egypt is about a Cenobite monk, Athanaël, who attempts to convert Thaïs, a courtesan of Alexandria and devotée of Venus. The radiant Renée Fleming played the Egyptian courtesan in search of spiritual sustenance, and Thomas Hampson was the monk who falls from grace. Renée Fleming is generally considered one of the world's leading classical sopranos. She regularly performs in opera houses and concert halls worldwide.