Poplia of Antioch

Holy Confessor Poplia of Antioch, a deaconess, left a widow at a young age, devoted her life to the upbringing of her son and to the service of God. She is remembered for her confession in the time of the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363).

Her son John became a priest, and she, for her pure and ascetic life, was found worthy of the rank of deaconess. She gathered around her widows and virgins who wished to devote themselves to the service of God and made her house a monastery. In the persecution, when the emperor passed by the house of Poplia, the sisters sang Psalm 113 aloud, which condemns the worship of idols. The governor's soldiers cruelly beat the venerable old woman, and she bore the blows with patience. She did not live long after this and departed in peace to the Lord.

St Poplia is commemorated on 22 October, in the new style.