Basil of Caesarea

Saint Basil the Great
Icon of St. Basil the Great from the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kiev
Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church; Great Hierarch
Born	330 Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia, Roman Empire
Died	1 or 2 January 378 Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia, Roman Empire
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Anglican Communion Lutheranism
Canonized	Pre-congregation
Feast	1 January[1][2] and 30 January[3][4] (Byzantine Christianity) 2 January (General Roman Calendar; Anglicanism) 14 January, Thout 6 (Coptic Orthodox Church)[5] ጥር 6 (Ethiopian Christianity) 10 January (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod; Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)[6] 14 June (General Roman Calendar from 13th century to 1969; Episcopal Church) Thout 13 (Coptic Christianity)[7] መስከረም 13 (Ethiopian Christianity)
Attributes	Vested as bishop, wearing omophorion, holding a Gospel Book or scroll. St. Basil is depicted in icons as thin and ascetic with a long, tapering black beard.
Patronage	Russia Cappadocia hospital administrators reformers monks education exorcism liturgists

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Major figures Athanasius of Alexandria Ephrem the Syrian Basil of Caesarea Cyril of Jerusalem Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa John Chrysostom Cyril of Alexandria John Climacus Maximus the Confessor John of Damascus Theodore the Studite Kassiani Cyril and Methodius Photios I of Constantinople Gregory Palamas
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Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (Koinē Greek: Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas; Coptic: Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330^[8] – 1 or 2 January 378), was a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. Together with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.

Basil, together with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet Ouranophantor (Greek: Οὐρανοφάντωρ), "revealer of heavenly mysteries".^[9]