Several hundred years apart, two courageous women both rose to the honor of Empress and played a leading role in changing the fate of their kingdoms for the better–and both were named Theodora (“Gift of God”)! We honor both of them as saints in the Orthodox Church and wanted to share their stories with you.
St. Theodora, Byzantine Empress (5th Century)
This Theodora was born into the peasant class around 497. Her father was a bear trainer at Constantinople’s famed Hippodrome. After his early death, her mother was forced to find her a place as an actress, an activity banned by the church, because she was unable to support her three daughters.
The Emperor’s nephew Justinian caught sight of the beautiful Theodora and fell in love with her. He was so smitten that he persuaded his imperial uncle to repeal a law prohibiting him from marrying an actress. In 527, two years after their wedding, Justinian succeeded to the throne with Theodora as his co-ruler. As empress of the Eastern Roman Empire, she had her own court, official entourage, and seal. Justinian referred to her as his “partner in my deliberations.”
St. Theodora, Byzantine Empress of the 5th century, was considered by many as the most influential and powerful woman in the empire's history. You see here coins that were stamped during her reign. Her strong will and determination saved the Empire during the 532 Nika riots. When those riots intensified into a week-long siege, the most violent riot in the history of Constantinople, as it burned or destroyed almost half the city (including Hagia Sophia). Unable to control the mob, Justinian and his counselors had planned on fleeing the city until she intervened. She gave such a moving speech that she convinced them to stay and fight, thus saving his throne.
St. Theodora’s courage, intelligence, and political intuition gave her great influence over many matters of Church and legislation. She corresponded with and received diplomats and conducted foreign policy that did not pertain to fighting battles. She is remembered as one of the first rulers to recognize the rights of women, passing strict laws to prohibit trafficking of young girls, changing laws on guardianship to include women, altering divorce laws to give greater benefits to women, and allowing women to own property.
Holy Empress Theodora, Restorer of Orthodoxy (9th Century)
Raised in Paphlagonia, this second Theodora is known as the Restorer of Orthodoxy and was descended from an aristocratic Armenian family. During her marriage to Emperor Theophilus, she bore seven children, five daughters and two sons. Although this fell during a period of iconoclasm, St. Theodora privately venerated icons, despite her husband’s maintaining the iconoclastic policies initiated by Leo V in 813. When Theophilus died in 842, Theodora became regent for her son Michael. With the support of a church council, she ended those iconoclastic policies with the proclamation of 843, an act many of us recently celebrated through the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Lent.
Besides ably governing the Empire for years, St. Theodora was unusually learned for her day. She wrote out a copy of the Gospels, which has been preserved at the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg. Known as Empress Theodora's Codex, Minuscule 565 is written on purple parchment in gold ink, and is one of only two known purple minuscules.
In 855, her son finally took the throne himself and sent her to the Monastery of St. Euphrosyne, where she devoted herself to asceticism. She died peacefully around the year 867.
Both of the Saints Theodora rose to positions of great authority and prominence using their intelligence, wisdom, and commitment to justice in order to allow their kingdoms to flourish. They were both quick-thinking yet patient, willing to stand up for what they believed to be right. They each “played the long game” to faithfully steward the Church’s tradition and teachings so that the truth be preserved. They accompany us now as lovers of the good, creators of beauty, and leaders who rose to their moment in history, “for such a time as this.”
Holy mothers Theodora, pray to God for us!
