Righteous 4th century

Righteous Nonna Mother of Saint Gregory the Theologian

c. 305 – c. 374

Also known as Nonna of Cappadocia

A devout Cappadocian wife and mother who won her husband Gregory the Elder to Christ and bore to the Church St Gregory the Theologian, a model of the praying Christian mother.

Feast Day

August 5

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Commemorated as

The Righteous Nonna, Mother of Saint Gregory the Theologian

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Children

Life

Righteous Nonna was a devout Christian wife and mother of fourth-century Cappadocia, remembered above all as the woman who won her husband to the faith and raised a household of saints. Born around 305 at Nazianzus, she came from a pious family and, by the account of her own son, surpassed even them in devotion.

She married Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder, who before their union had belonged to the Hypsistarians, a monotheistic sect that venerated the 'Most High' God. By her steadfast faith and prayer Nonna brought him to Christianity; he was afterward ordained bishop of Nazianzus, and she became the wife of a bishop and the mother of saints.

Of her three children, all are numbered among the saints: Gregory the Theologian, one of the great hierarchs and teachers of the Church; Caesarius; and Gorgonia. Honored in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, Nonna is commemorated on August 5 as a model of Christian motherhood.

Timeline 6 moments Read Hide

c. 305 Birth at Nazianzus Nonna is born around 305 in Nazianzus, Cappadocia, into a pious Christian family.
c. 325 Conversion of her husband Nonna brings her husband, Gregory the Elder, formerly a member of the Hypsistarian sect, to the Christian faith.
c. 328–329 Husband ordained bishop Following his conversion, Gregory the Elder is ordained bishop of Nazianzus.
329 Birth of Gregory the Theologian Her son Gregory, later called the Theologian, is born; the family makes its home in the region of Arianzus, near Nazianzus.
c. 351 Recovery from illness By her son's account, Nonna recovers from a severe illness after a vision involving cakes marked with the sign of the cross.
c. 374 Repose Nonna dies around 374, having outlived her husband and two of her children.

Contributions & Legacy

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Family and Household

Nonna and her husband, Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder, were affluent Christian landowners of Cappadocia, with a family estate near the village of Arianzus, not far from Nazianzus. Their home became one of the most remarkable Christian households of the fourth century.

The couple's three children all came to be venerated as saints: Gregory the Theologian, born in 329 and later one of the foremost hierarchs and teachers of the Church; Caesarius, commemorated on March 9; and Gorgonia, commemorated on February 23. Gregory the Elder, who served as bishop of Nazianzus, is himself counted among the saints and commemorated on January 1.

The family's piety and social standing shaped the vocation of Gregory the Theologian, whose parents' faith and example are reflected throughout his own writings.

Witness and Piety

Nonna's enduring renown rests on her conversion of her husband. Before their marriage Gregory the Elder belonged to the Hypsistarians, a philosophical monotheistic group that worshipped the 'Most High'; through Nonna's faith and perseverance he embraced Christianity and was later raised to the episcopate.

Her own son, Gregory the Theologian, became her foremost witness, holding her up as an exemplar of Christian motherhood. He recalled that she came from a pious family yet was more pious still, and he praised the strength of her devotion. By his account, Nonna once recovered from a grave illness after a vision in which she was given cakes marked with the sign of the cross.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints