Saint Gorgonia ( el, Αγία Γοργονία) (died 23 February 375) was the daughter of Saint Gregory the Elder and Saint Nonna. She is remembered in both Eastern and Western Churches for her piety as a married woman.

Biography

Gorgonia married a man of some influence in Pisidia, sometimes called Vitolian, and other times, Meletius. By at least one account, she is called the "pattern of a married saint." She had several sons and three daughters, the most notable of whom was named Alypania. Later in her life, she converted her husband, and was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

along with him and her sons and grandsons. Two times in her life, she was miraculously cured of serious maladies. The first of these was her having been trampled by a team of

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

s, causing her

broken bone A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

s and crushed internal organs. Yet, Gorgonia would have no doctor, as she thought it indecent. According to the legend, it was this modesty which cured her. Another time, she cured herself of a desperate illness by anointing herself with "the sacred elements of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

" mixed with her own tears, which she had shed with her head on the altar. She was cured of this disease as she was of the first, the

symptom Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showin ...

s of

headache Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...

, fever,

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

, and sporadic

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

disappearing, allegedly, through the strength of her prayer. Gorgonia died circa 375 of natural causes. Her father and mother were alive, though extremely old, at the time of her death. At her funeral, her brother Gregory of Nazianzus the Younger preached a eulogy which declared her a model Christian spouse and mother, as well as "The Paragon of Women" and "The Diamond of Her Sex."

Veneration

Saint Gorgonia is venerated as the patron saint of people afflicted by bodily ills or sickness. The legacy of her charity has earned her the titles "Mother of Orphans", "Eyes of the Blind", and "Keeper of a Refuge of the Poor" in the Greek Orthodox Church. Her feast day on the calendar of saints is 9 December in the West and 23 February in the East, the latter date purported to be that of her death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorgonia 375 deaths 4th-century Roman women 4th-century Christian saints Saints from Roman Anatolia Late Ancient Christian female saints Year of birth unknown People from Aksaray Province