Icon of St. Emmelia of Caesarea - 00STEM01

Feast Day/Commemorated: May 30

Saint Emmelia of Caesarea, born in the late third or early fourth century, lived during a transformative era when Christianity was rapidly expanding and challenging the established Roman pagan order. She was the devoted wife of Basil the Elder, and together they were blessed with a remarkable family of nine or ten children. Among their offspring were luminaries of the early Church: Basil the Great, Macrina the Younger, Peter of Sebaste, Gregory of Nyssa, and Naucratius.

A Family of Saints

Emmelia, also known as Emilia or Emily, is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, having reposed around May 30, 375. Her sanctity, however, was not unique within her immediate family. Her mother-in-law, Macrina the Elder, is also recognized as a saint in both traditions. Furthermore, her daughter, Macrina the Younger, attained sainthood in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Another daughter, Theosebia the Deaconess, is honored as a saint in Eastern Orthodoxy and as a blessed in the Catholic Church, truly making Emmelia the matriarch of a holy lineage.

A Life of Asceticism and Equality

In her later years, Emmelia lived closely with her eldest daughter, Macrina the Younger, who profoundly influenced her mother's spiritual journey. After her husband's passing, Emmelia and Macrina embraced a life wholly dedicated to Christ. They lived surrounded by their servants, whom, at Macrina the Younger's insistence, they treated as equals, embodying the Christian principle of humility and brotherhood. This ascetic way of life, characterized by piety and disregard for worldly pleasures, attracted a devoted following of women. Their household blossomed into a convent-like community, where true richness was measured not by earthly possessions but by a pure and devout Christian life.

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