Righteous 13th century

Righteous Theodora of Arta

c. 1225 – c. 1270s

Also known as Theodora Petraliphaina · Theodora the Queen

Consort of Michael II Komnenos Doukas of Epirus (c. 1225-after 1270). She endured family suffering, later embracing a devout life, and founded the convent of St. George in Arta, where she is venerated.

Feast Day

March 11

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Commemorated as

Our Righteous Mother Theodora of Arta

Life

Theodora of Arta (born c. 1225, originally Theodora Dukaina Petraliphaina) was the consort of Michael II Komnenos Doukas, ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, and is venerated as a righteous saint of the Orthodox Church. The daughter of the sebastokrator John Petraliphas, who governed Macedonia and Thessaly, she married Michael around 1231 while still very young and bore him six children, among them Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas.

Her life is remembered for the suffering she bore with patience during a prolonged exile imposed by her husband, her later reconciliation with him, and her eventual embrace of the monastic life after his death. In Arta she founded a women's monastery dedicated to Saint George that was afterward renamed in her honor, and her tomb there became a place of popular veneration. Her feast is kept on March 11.

Timeline 6 moments Read Hide

c. 1225 Birth Born as Theodora Dukaina Petraliphaina, daughter of the sebastokrator John Petraliphas, governor of Macedonia and Thessaly, and his wife Helena.
c. 1231 Marriage to Michael II Married Michael II Komnenos Doukas around the time he became ruler of Epirus; the couple eventually had six children, including the future ruler Nikephoros I.
after marriage Exile and hardship After Michael became infatuated with another noblewoman and rejected her, Theodora was banished without support for some five years. According to her life, she lived in the open, gathering wild greens to survive, until a priest from Preniste gave her and her infant son shelter.
after the exile Reconciliation When court officials removed Michael's rival, he was reconciled with Theodora, and the couple lived peacefully thereafter.
c. 1267–1268 Widowhood and monastic life After the death of Michael II, Theodora withdrew into monastic life, devoting herself to prayer, vigils, and care for orphans and widows.
c. 1270s Repose Theodora reposed in Arta and was buried at the monastery she had founded, where her tomb soon became a focus of veneration.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Foundation of the Monastery

In Arta, Theodora founded a women's monastery originally dedicated to Saint George. Following her death the community took her own name, becoming known as the Monastery of Saint Theodora, and she came to be honored as a patron of the city.

The katholikon associated with her veneration is a three-aisled basilica built over the ruins of an older structure during the reign of Michael II Komnenos Doukas, Despot of Epirus. It is counted among the notable Byzantine churches of Arta.

Relics & Shrine

Theodora was buried at the monastery church she had founded, an important funerary site connected with the ruling family of Epirus. Her tomb attracted popular devotion from soon after her death, and according to tradition pilgrims reported healings there. The monastery remains the site of her tomb and continuing veneration.

Notes

Greek local saint of Arta, Epirus.

Sources: J. Sanidopoulos, johnsanidopoulos.com; GOARCH calendar