| Saint Macrina the Elder | |
|---|---|
| Died | ~340 AD |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Feast | January 14 |
| Patronage | widows; invoked against poverty |
Saint Macrina the Elder (before 270 – c. 340) was the mother of Saint Basil the Elder, and the grandmother of Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Peter of Sebaste, and Saint Macrina the Younger. Little is known about this saint. Her home was at Neocaesarea in Pontus and during the persecution of Christians under Galerius, Macrina supposedly fled with her husband to the shores of the Black Sea. She was widowed and is the patron of widows and the patron against poverty. Her feast is celebrated on 14 January.
Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.