Venerable Theodora of Caesarea lived in the 8th century. She was a long-awaited child. Her parents had been childless for a long time, but as pious people, they prayed and believed that if it was God's will, the Lord would grant them a child. They vowed to dedicate the newborn to God.
The Lord heard and fulfilled their request, bestowing a daughter upon them. They named her Theodora. After some time, her mother brought the girl to the monastery of Saint Anna, where she learned the Word of God.
At that time, Emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741), an iconoclast, ruled and wanted to marry Theodora to one of his close associates. Against her will, Saint Theodora was brought to Constantinople, but the marriage did not take place due to an unexpected Scythian attack on the capital. During the clash with the invaders, her betrothed was killed. Taking advantage of the situation, the girl boarded a ship and returned to her monastery. Upon arrival, Theodora immediately received the monastic tonsure. She remained in the monastery until the end of her life, bearing her monastic struggles in heavy chains, fasting, and prayer.
Commemoration day: January 12 (December 30 Old Style).
