Icon Saint Gregory the Theologian

Saint Gregory the Theologian was born in 329 AD in Arianzo, a small town in Cappadocia, to Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus and Nonna.He has two brothers: Caesarius and his sister Gorgonia, known for her piety.

In Nazianzos, he was taught elementary education, while in Caesarea, where he met his classmate Basil the Great, and then went to the famous teachers of rhetoric in Palestine and Alexandria, and finally to the Universities of Athens. His studies lasted 13 long years (from 17 to 30 years old).

After his studies in Athens, Gregorios returned to his homeland, only to be offered a professorship at the University. There, his father, Bishop of Nazianzus, ordained him an elder. But St. Gregory prefers the quiet of the retreat in Pontus, near his friend Basil, for more practice in the spiritual life.

However, after fervent pleas from his family, he returned to his homeland and became active in the Church. At the age of 43, God raised him to the episcopal office. His see was appointed the region of Sasimon, which he never visited because of its Arian inhabitants.

However, death comes to wound his soul, with repeated deaths of relatives. First his brother Caesarius, then his sister Gorgonia, then his father, and finally his mother Nonna. After these afflictions, Divine Providence brings him to Constantinople (378 AD), where he defends Orthodoxy in an amazing way and strikes a decisive blow against the Martians, who had flooded Constantinople.

The situation was very difficult. All the temples in Basileus were in the hands of the heretics. But the Saint did not despair. He converted a room in the house that housed him into a temple and gave it a symbolic name. He named the temple St. Anastasia a sign that he believed in the resurrection of the Orthodox Faith.

The races are dangerous. The heretics, mounted on the roofs of his houses, throw stones, and so St. Gregory is sorely tried. In the church of St. Anastasia he delivers the famous five theological speeches that rightly gave him the title of Theologian.

After this hard struggle, Theodosius the Great made him Patriarch of Constantinople (381 AD). The Second Ecumenical Council recognized him as its President. But a section of bishops opposed him on petty grounds. Then Gregory, disgusted, declared his resignation, departed to his hometown of Arianzo and ended his life in peace in 390 AD.

St. Gregory the Theologian left a great body of writings. Of particular interest are his philosophical 408 poems of about 18,000 lines. He is one of the greatest spirits of Christianity and one of the most brilliant athletes of the Orthodox faith.

His sacred coffin is kept in the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi, on Mount Athos, while his sacred skeleton is kept in his homonymous Church in Nea Karvali.