Life and Character
Gorgonia belonged to one of the most distinguished Christian families of the fourth century. Her parents, Gregory the Elder and Nonna, were compared by her brother to "the Abraham and Sarah of these our latter days," and all three of their children — Gregory the Theologian, Caesarius, and Gorgonia — were numbered among the saints.
She married Alypius, whose household was at Iconium in Cappadocia, and bore five children: three daughters named Alypiana, Eugenia, and Nonna, and two sons whose names are not recorded; by one tradition both sons dedicated themselves to God. In his oration her brother describes her as combining the elevation of the virginal life with the security of marriage, modest in bearing and devoted to her household.
Gregory praises her rejection of worldly display: she shunned cosmetic ornamentation, gold jewellery, and elaborately curled hair, and avoided all vanity. She was known as a trusted adviser to her family and community, opening her door to all so that, in her brother's words, "the stranger did not lodge in the street."
Piety and Asceticism
Gorgonia practised generous hospitality to the poor, extensive fasting, and nightly vigils spent in the singing of psalms. Her brother records her deep familiarity with Scripture and her support of the Church and its clergy, particularly Faustinus, bishop of Iconium, who served as her spiritual father.
Gregory emphasises that she never sought recognition for her virtuous acts, keeping even her miraculous healings private and maintaining strict humility about all she did.
Miracles and Traditions
Historically Documented: The accounts of Gorgonia survive in her brother's funeral oration. Gregory relates that runaway mules overturned her carriage and inflicted severe injuries; she refused the care of physicians and sought healing through prayer alone, and her swift recovery was regarded as beyond natural explanation.
Traditional Accounts: Gregory further relates that she suffered a grave and baffling illness marked by high fevers, paralysis, and confusion that defied her physicians. During a night vigil she went to the altar and, imitating the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20), applied the reserved Sacrament — the antitypes of the Precious Body and Blood — to herself, mingled with her tears, and at once felt herself healed.
By her brother's account she foreknew her death through visions and dreams. Before her repose her chief concern was for the spiritual perfection of her husband Alypius. On her deathbed, seemingly motionless and silent, she was heard by her spiritual father Faustinus, who placed his ear to her lips, to repeat the closing words of Psalm 4: "I will lay me down in peace, and take my rest."
Sources and Veneration
Gorgonia is venerated as "Gorgonia the Righteous" and is commemorated on February 23. Her brother Saint Gregory the Theologian is commemorated on January 25 and her brother Saint Caesarius on March 9; her mother Saint Nonna is commemorated on August 5.
Her life is preserved chiefly through Gregory of Nazianzus's Oration VIII (numbered VII in some editions), recorded in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, volume 7. Later writers, including Saint Justin Popović, have drawn on this oration in accounts of her life.
