The St. Macrina mural by famous Georgian iconographer and painter, Niko Chocheli from the former Soviet Union. St. Basil the Great RC Church, Pennsylvania circa 2005St. Macrina was born around 327 AD with her feast day being July 19th (the day of this post). After the death of her father, she helped her younger brothers in their religious education, especially, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Peter of Sebaste. She became known to her holy brothers as “Macrina the Great” and “Macrina the Teacher” by her brothers. Note that Macrina the Elder is the grandmother of Macrina, Basil and Gregory.
With her families wealth, Macrina founded a convent and became a nun. In 379 St. Gregory returned home and found his sister sick and near death. They conversed about death and the afterlife. These final days are included in a book called The Life of Macrina, by St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Several last words of St. Macrina:
“Oh, Lord! Thou didst destroy the fear of death. Because of Thy sacrifice, true life begins when the present life finishes. We will sleep for a while and then, to the sound of the trumpet, we will resurrect. Thou didst save us from the curse of the sin, redeeming us from both sin and its curse.”
Shrine Tower 