MACRINA, saint. — Grandmother of St. Basil the Great, not to be confused with the sister of the same Saint who bore the same name.
Born at Neocaesarea in Pontus, she was a disciple of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus. When the persecution of Dio-
clesian broke out, she took refuge with her husband and other Christians in the mountains, where she lived for 7 years, enduring every hardship and working to procure the food necessary for her sustenance. The year of her death is unknown. Unknown to the Greek Martyrologies, she was inserted into the Roman one by Baronius and is commemorated on 14 January.
MACRINA (THE YOUNGER), saint. - Elder sister of St. Basil the Great, she was raised with great severity by her mother and later assisted her in managing the large family and considerable estate.
After the death of the fiancé chosen for her by her parents, M. resolved to live in virginity, and later, freed from all family cares, she withdrew to a monastery. There she lived in penance and the practice of virtues, also performing several miracles. At her death, she was attended by her brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, who oversaw her burial beside that of her parents and wrote her splendid eulogy. In the Roman Martyrology as in the Greek Synaxaria, she is commemorated on 19 July.