GREECE

First Millennium

Phoebe

Agrippiane

Celerina (Novae)

Sources: “Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua”, vol. I – VIII, Manchester 1928 – 1962; Ute E. Eisen, “Amsträgerinnen im fruhen Christentum”, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1996; Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald, “Women Deacons in the Orthodox Church”, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline 1998; John Wijngaards, “Women Deacons in the Early Church. Historical Texts and Contemporary Debates”, Crossroad, New York 2002; Kevin Madigan and Carolyn Osiek, “Ordained Women in the Early Church: A Documentary History”, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005.

1. St Phoebe

City or province	Corinth, Greece
Date	50-60 AD
details from biographies	“I commend to you Phoebe, the deacon [diakonos] of the church at Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.”
feast day	September 3rd

2. St Lydia

City or province	Thyatira
Date	50 – 60 AD
details from biographies	Lydia became Paul’s first convert at Philippi. She was baptized with her household, and Paul stayed at her home there. She was reputed to have become a deacon.
feast day	August 3rd

3. Agrippiane

Source	Votary inscription in mosaic from Patras, Greece, early Byzantine period
Date	Early Byzantine period
Greek Text
Quote from source	“The deacon Agrippiane, most beloved, of God, made the mosaic in fulfilment of her vow.”August 3rd.

4. Alexandra (of Thrace)

Source	funerary inscription from Apollonia, a town in Thrace
Date	532 – 562 AD
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Alexandra subdeacon.”

5. Athanasia (of Delphi)

Source	fifth-century tomb inscription from Delphi in Greece
Image
Greek Text
Quote from source	“The devoted deaconess Athanasia, who lived a blameless life decorously, installedas deaconess by the most holy bishop Pantamianos, set up this memorial. Here are her mortal remains. If anyone else dares to open this monument where the deaconess has been placed, may he share the lot of Judas the [betrayer] of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .”

6. Eirene

Source	inscription, possibly dating to the fourth century, at the coastal town of Nea Ankhialos, near Volos, Thebes, in Thessaly
Greek Text	[ KOIMHTHPION] E]IPHNHC ΔIA KONON KAI ZΩH C THC ΔOYΛH C MOY HN K[YPIOC] ΠAPEΛABETO]
Quote from source	“[Burial place of] Eirene deacon and Zoe my slave whom the L[ord took up]“

7. Eugenia (of Nicopolis)

Source	carved marble monument from Nicopolis in Thrace
Date	Dated June 12th, 538 AD
Greek Text	+Eνθαδε κατκ[ιτε] Eυγενια η της ευ[λαβους] μνημης γεναμενη δ[ιακονισσα] οκοδομησσα δομο[ν του] ενδοξου αποστολου Α[νδρε] ου κ(ε) εν σεμνη πολιτια [τε] λεσασα τον βιον μ(ηνι) Ιουνιω βί ινδ(ικτιωνι) ά βα[σλι] ας του θιοτ(ατου) κε ευσεβ(εστατου η[μων] δεσπο(του) Φλ(αβιου) Ιουστινιαν[ου] του αιωνιου Αγ(ουστου) κ[ε] Αυτοκρ[α] τορος ετους βί υπατιας Φλ(αβιου) Ιωαννου του λαμπρ(οτατου )+
Quote from source	“Here lies Eugenia of praiseworthy memory, d . . . [stone broken off], who built the house (domo[n], i.e., shrine) of the glorious apostle Andrew in a holy manner, and ended life on June 12 in the first Indiction, in the reign of our godly and reverend ruler (despo[tou]) Flavius Justinianus, eternal Augustus and Emperor, in the twelfth year of the consulship (hypatia) of the noble Flavius John.”

8. Unnamed deaconess (of Thasos in Thrace)

Source	inscription on 5th-6th century tomb in Thasos
Greek Text	“…ανή..ις + διακωνισ[σα] . . . “
Quote from source	“. . . ane..is + deacones[s] . . .”

9. Tetradia (of Thessaly)

Source	marble plaque in the south end of the citadel of Volos in Thessaly
Greek Text	KOIMHTHPION TETPAΔIAC ΔIAKONOY H TIC AYTO AN YΞI ΠAPEΞEM OY ΔAΠANY CI AYTON ΠYPOC EΩ NIOY ΔHKH
Quote from source	“Tomb of Tetradia deacon. If anyone opens it except me, it will cost him the punishment of eternal fire.”

ACHAIA

10. Alexandria (of Elis)

Source	Fourth century at Elis in the Peloponnesus
Greek Text	ENΘA[__________________]NOΓEN[__] ET(ΩN)KГ ΘYГA[_____________]ΔPIAΣ ΔIA[K] ANAΘPEΨAMENH Σ[_________]AΛIΦΘIΣA[__]ΠO TOY EMOY Π(AT)P(O)Σ EPENIANOY EN TOIΣ ΣΠAPΓ ANOIΣMOXΘΩ KAI EYXEΣ EΛΠIΔI TOY YIГEMOY TAΦHNE ΩΣ ΔE O Θ(EO)Σ HΘE ΛHΣEN THN OΔON TAYTHN ΠPO AYTHΣ EΠΛHPΩΣA INΔ IΔ ΣEΠTEMBPIOY IГ
Quote from source	“Here lies [————] only child, twenty-three years old daughter of [————] and Alexandria deacon, raised and taken in by my father Erenianos in swaddling clothes, in distress and pleas, buried in hope by me. As God wished, I fulfilled this path for her in the fourteenth Indiction, September 13.”

11. Andromacha

Source	sixth-century mosaic inscription on the left side of the main altar of the basilica of St. Leonidas, in Klauseios, Achaia
Greek Text	ΠΟΛΤΗΡΟΣ Ο ΕΥΛΒΕΣΤΑΤ[Ο]Σ ΑΝΑ[ΓΝΩΣΤΗΣ] ΚΕ ΑΝΔΡΟ ΜΑΧΑ Η ΘΕΟΦΙΛ[Ε]Σ Τ[ΑΤΗ] ΔΙΑΚ ΥΠΕΡ ΕΥ ΧΗΣ ΑΥΤΩΝ Ε ΚΑΛΙΕΡΓΗΡΑΝ
Quote from source	“Polygeros the most reverend lector and Andromacha the most beloved deacon(ess) of God, because of their vow, beautified [the place]”

12. Nikagora

Source	Neoclaudiopolis in Pontus, a marble plaque embedded into a wall of the church
Greek Text
Quote from source	tomb in the monastery of Karea at Mount Hymettus, Athens

MACEDONIA

13. Agathe

Source	inscription on a tomb near the fifth-century Christian basilica at Philippi in Macedonia
Greek Text
Quote from source	“[Deaco]ness Basilike lies here.”

14. Axia

Literary Source	Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Letter Patmos 48 (44)
Date	423 – 451 AD
Place of Deacon	Cyrrhus (?)
Quote from source	“To Axia, deacon.”

15. Agathokleia

Source	inscription from Edessa in Macedonia.
Date	Fifth to sixth century
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Memorial of Agathakleia, virgin and deacon”

16. Posidonia

Source	Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Letter Patmos 48 (44)
Date	4th or 5th century
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Illustrious graves of Posidonia deacon[ess] and Pancharia, the least canoness.”

17. Matrona (of Stobi)

Source	Inscription in a paved public area in Stobi, Macedonia . (An exedra is a small public rest area with seats.)
Date	423 – 451 AD
Greek Text
Quote from source	“In fulfilment of a vow, Matrona, the most reverend deaconess, paved the exedra.”

18. Theodosia

Source	tomb stone at the fifth-sixth-century monastery of Hagia Triada, in Edessa, Macedonia
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Memorial of Theodosia deacon and Aspilia and Agathokleia, virgins.”

19. Theoprepia

Source	Inscription from Bonitsa, Macedonia
Date	Late 4th century
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Here lies the slave of the Lord, Theoprepia, perpetual virgin and deacon[ess?] of Christ, who has completed a life ascetic, zealous, and distinguished in the Lord God.”

MOESIA

20. Celerina (of Novae)

Source	dedicatory inscription on the lower part of a marble column in the episcopal basilica of Svistov, ancient Novae
Date	Probably from the time of the reconstruction of the basilica under Justinian (527-565)
Greek Text
Quote from source	“Of Celerina deaconess”

GREEK ISLANDS

21. Agaliasis

Source	family funerary inscription from the island of Melos in the Cyclades, Aegean Sea
Date	4th century
Greek Text
Quote from source	“In the Lord: the presbyters worthy of every commemoration, Asclepis and Elpizon and Asklepiodotos and Agaliasis the deacon and Eutychia and Klaudiane, virgins, and Eutychia their mother lie here. Since this tomb is full, I adjure you by the angel located before it that no one dare bury anyone else here. Jesus Christ, help the one who writes this and his entire household.”

22. St Xenia

City or province	Island of Kos
Date	5th century
details from biographies	St. Xenia, ‘the Merciful’ Born in Rome as ‘Eusebia’, the only daughter of a senator, she refused to marry as her parents desired. She fled to Kos with two servants where she started a community for women. She adopted the name ‘Xenia’ locals had given her (= ‘stranger’). She ministered as a deacon. She proved a great teacher of the faith.
feast day	January 24