(Died 340 AD)
Macrina the Elder was the matriarch of a distinguished holy family. She was the mother of Basil the Elder, and the grandmother of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, and Macrina the Younger. She studied under Gregory Thaumaturgus, and it was his teachings that she handed down to Basil and Gregory.
Her home was at Neocaesarea in Pontus, and according to Gregory Nazianzen, during the persecution of Christians under Galerius and Diocletian, Macrina fled with her husband to the shores of the Black Sea. Once the persecution had passed, Macrina and her family returned to Neocaesarea.
She was widowed and is the patron of widows. Macrina is also the patron against poverty.
Adapted by A. J. Valentini from: Online, C. (n.d.). St. Macrina the Elder – Saints & Angels. Catholic Online. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2021, from https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4400