Emmelia of Caesarea
Emmelia of Caesarea | |
|---|---|
| File:St. Emmelia Met DP890979.jpg | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 30 May 375 Caesarea in Cappadocia (modern-day Kayseri, Turkey) |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast | 30 May (Western Church, Some Eastern Churches) 8 May (Some Eastern Churches) 1 January (Russian Orthodox) |
| Attributes | Mother of Saints |
| Patronage | Mothers |
Emmelia of Caesarea (Greek: Ἐμμέλεια) was born in the late third to early fourth century, a period in time when Christianity was becoming more widespread, posing a challenge to the Roman government and its pagan rule.[1] She was the wife of Basil the Elder and bore nine or ten children,[2] including Basil of Caesarea (born circa 330[3]), Macrina the Younger, Peter of Sebaste, Gregory of Nyssa, and Naucratius.
Emmelia—also known as Emilia or Emily—is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church[4] and is said to have died on 30 May 375.[2] However, she is not the only woman in her family to be venerated as a saint. Both her mother-in-law, Macrina the Elder, and her daughter Macrina the Younger are recognized as saints in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Her daughter Theosebia the Deaconess is honoured as a saint in Eastern Orthodoxy but only as a blessed in the Catholic Church.
Emmelia spent much of her later years living with her eldest daughter, Macrina the Younger. Macrina the Younger had a profound impact on her mother. With her husband no longer around, Emmelia and her daughter lived a life dedicated to Christianity, surrounded by servants whom they treated as equals, at Macrina the Younger's insistence. Their ascetic way of life attracted a following of women which created a convent-like atmosphere, where one was considered rich if she lived a pure and devout Christian life and disregarded the materialistic lure of earthly pleasures and possessions.[5]
References
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- ^ Gregory of Nyssa: The Life of Macrina, trans. by W.K. Lowther Clarke, (London: SPCK, 1916)
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