Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Saint Gregory was born in Arianzus near Nazianzus in Cappadocia. Both his parents, Gregory and Nonna, were numbered among the saints. He studied in Caesarea, Alexandria, and Athens, where he was a friend of Saint Basil and of Julian the Apostate. After returning to Nazianzus, he was baptized by his father and began to lead a very devout life.

In 358 he joined Saint Basil at his hermitage in Pontus, where he stayed until the day his father, the Bishop of Nazianzus, summoned him and, against his will, ordained him a priest. At that time, however, he did not take charge of any diocese. In 372 Saint Basil appointed him bishop of the small town of Sasima. In 381 he was appointed Bishop of Constantinople, an office he held for barely a month before resigning. He spent the rest of his life in a monastery. He died in 390.

Saint Gregory’s memorial is celebrated together with that of Saint Basil. As friendship united them on earth, so after death they are united in shared glory. Gregory was a great theologian, humanist, and poet. His literary legacy is very rich. Pride of place goes to his sermons. Forty-five of them have come down to our times. His correspondence must once have been extensive, since as many as 245 of his letters have fortunately survived to this day. Gregory also became renowned as one of the greatest poets of the Eastern Church. As many as 507 of his poems have survived. In them he celebrates the mysteries of the faith, his personal experiences, his mystical raptures, and the events of his time. He is the patron of the Basilians and of poets.