Venerable
Venerable Theodora Of Constantinople
† 940
Venerable Theodora of Constantinople — a Greek woman who lived in Constantinople in the first half of the 10th century; after being widowed, she served the poor and travelers, then took monastic vows under the spiritual guidance of Venerable Basil the New.
Venerable Theodora of Constantinople was a Greek woman who lived in Constantinople in the first half of the 10th century. After her husband's death, she served the poor and travelers, then took monastic vows and lived under the spiritual guidance of Venerable Basil the New. She died on December 30, 940. Through the prayers of Venerable Basil, his disciple Gregory saw in a dream the elder Theodora, who related how her soul passed through 20 toll-houses (spiritual trials) after death and how the prayers of Blessed Basil helped her until her soul found eternal rest. This vision of the toll-houses is one of the most detailed accounts of the soul's posthumous trials in the Orthodox tradition.