The Cappadocian Fathers, also traditionally known as the Three Cappadocians, were a trio of Byzantine Christian prelates, theologians and monks who helped shape both early Christianity and the monastic tradition. Basil the Great (330–379) was Bishop of Caesarea; Basil's younger brother Gregory of Nyssa was Bishop of Nyssa; and a close friend, Gregory of Nazianzus (329–389), became Patriarch of Constantinople. The Cappadocia region, in modern-day Turkey, was an early site of Christian activity.
Gregory the Theologian (Fresco from Chora Church, Istanbul)
Icon of Gregory of Nyssa (14th century fresco, Chora Church, Istanbul)
Basil of Caesarea (Fresco from Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, 11th century.)
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea.
Icon of St. Basil the Great from the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kiev
Russian icon of Basil of Caesarea
Icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great (left), John Chrysostom (center) and Gregory the Theologian (right)—from Lipie, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland.
Basil of Caesarea Correr Museum Venice
