Bishop
Saint Gregory was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor). In his youth, he studied in Alexandria under the presbyter Origen. Upon returning to Neocaesarea, he withdrew into the desert, where through fasting and prayer he attained high spiritual perfection and the gifts of insight and prophecy. Bishop Phedim from the city of Amasea, having learned about Saint Gregory, decided to appoint him as bishop in Neocaesarea. Before his ordination, Saint Gregory fervently prayed, asking God and the Mother of God to reveal to him the true manner of worshiping the Holy Trinity. During his prayer, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to him with the Apostle John the Theologian, who taught Saint Gregory how to rightly confess the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory recorded all that John the Theologian revealed to him. This great Divine Revelation became the foundation of the teaching on the Holy Trinity, which was later developed by the Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa.
He reposed around 266–270 AD.
