Venerable (Monastic)5th century

Domnina the Younger of Syria

5th century (died c. 450-460)

Also known as Domnina

A virgin ascetic of Cyrrhus in Syria who lived in great austerity in a small garden hut, and whose holy life was recorded by Blessed Theodoret of Cyrrhus.

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Mother Domnina of Syria

Life

Domnina the Younger of Syria was a fifth-century virgin ascetic of Cyrrhus, the Syrian city near Antioch over which Theodoret presided as bishop. Born to pious and God-loving parents of a well-to-do family, she devoted her life from a young age to the austere monastic discipline she saw practiced by the holy ascetics of the region, and her example is preserved among the thirty Lives in Theodoret of Cyrrhus's Historia Religiosa (A History of the Monks of Syria).

She is distinguished as "the Younger" from other saints bearing the name Domnina, and her commemoration on March 1 should not be confused with another Saint Domnina commemorated on October 4.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 4

Your lamb Domnina,
calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice:
“I love You, my Bridegroom,
and in seeking You, I endure suffering.
In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You,
and I died so that I might live with You.
Accept me as a pure sacrifice,
for I have offered myself in love.”
Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline3 momentsReadHide

Early 5th centuryBirth at CyrrhusDomnina was born in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria, near Antioch, to pious and God-loving parents of a comfortable family.
YouthWithdrawal to a garden hutAdmiring the life of the holy ascetics and following the example of Saint Maron, she built a small straw-covered hut in a corner of her mother's garden, where she lived out her ascetic life.
c. 450-460ReposeAfter a long life of austere asceticism, the Venerable Domnina reposed in peace around the year 460.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Ascetic life

Domnina lived in extreme austerity within a small straw-covered hut built in the corner of her mother's garden, where she remained throughout her life. Her only food was lentils soaked in water, and her practices left her physically wasted. She went to the church to pray and glorify God early in the morning and again at night, and she always covered herself with a cloak or veil so that no one would see her face. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, who knew her, records that she spoke softly and indistinctly, her words always accompanied by tears, having attained such a state of spiritual feeling that she could not speak without weeping.

Community of followers

Domnina gathered around her a community of some 250 female followers, who passed their time in manual labor and the carding of wool while sharing in her life of prayer and discipline.

Sources and veneration

The chief source for her life is Theodoret of Cyrrhus's Historia Religiosa (Religious History), a collection of the lives of thirty Syrian ascetics. As a saint who lived before the Council of Chalcedon (451), she is venerated across traditions, and is commemorated in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Her feast falls on March 1.

Related Saints3 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to her life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Inspiration for her ascetic life — by his example she built her straw-covered garden hut and took up the open-air austerity of the Syrian solitaries near Cyrrhus.

Venerable Maronthe Hermit of Syria

Fellow Syrian ascetic, recorded with her among the strugglers of Theodoret's History of the Monks of Syria.

Venerable Baradatesthe Hermit of Syria

Fellow Syrian ascetic, recorded with her among the strugglers of Theodoret's History of the Monks of Syria.

Venerable Thalassius and Limnaeusof Syria

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints