Myrrh-bearer Mary of Clopas

IMPORTANT NOTE: the stub originally contained five contaminated dates ("July 22/Aug 4/Apr 1/Jun 4/Jun 17"), evidently derived from Martyr Mary Magdalene's date (July 22/Aug 4) — replaced with this saint's genuine dates. The stub mary_of_jacob ("Mary of James") has also been merged into this entry — an authoritative source (drevo-info.ru) directly redirects the article "Mary of James" to the article on Mary of Clopas: this is the same saint known under several names.

According to church tradition, Saint Mary of Clopas was the daughter of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage and, therefore, a half-sister (through their father) of the Most Holy Theotokos, raised alongside Her from a young age as if a full sister. Sources disagree on the precise nature of her marriage to Clopas — one tradition holds he was Joseph the Betrothed's younger brother, another identifies him with the Apostle Cleopas, the Lord's companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24); this discrepancy is not finally resolved by church tradition. Through this marriage she became the mother of the Apostles James (son of Alphaeus) and Joses.

Mary of Clopas accompanied Christ and the Theotokos during the Savior's earthly ministry, stood at the foot of the Cross at the Crucifixion, was present at the burial, and went with the other women to the tomb with spices after the Sabbath, where she was among the first to hear the angel's proclamation of the Resurrection — for which she is venerated among the holy myrrh-bearing women.

Her feast is kept on May 23 and June 19 (O.S.), and also on the 3rd Sunday after Pascha — the movable feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women.