St. Emmelia the Elder (of Caesarea) was born in the late third century. She was the wife of St. Basil the Elder and bore ten children, including St. Basil the Great, St. Peter of Sebaste, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Naucratius, St. Theosebia the Deaconess and St. Macrina the Younger with whom she is depicted in this icon.
St. Emmelia spent much of her later years living with her eldest daughter, St. Macrina who had a profound impact on her mother. With her husband no longer around, Emmelia and her daughter lived a life completely dedicated to Christ, surrounded by servants whom they treated as equals, at Macrina the Younger's insistence. Their ascetic way of life attracted a following of women which created a convent-like atmosphere, where one was considered rich if she lived a pure and devout Christian life and disregarded the materialistic lure of earthly pleasures and possessions.
St. Emmelia—also known as Emilia or Emily—is venerated as a saint in both the East and West and fell asleep in the Lord on 30 May 375.
