Anthusa of Constantinople

Anthusa of Constantinople (Greek: Ανθούσα) commonly known as Saint Anthusa of Constantinople and in Orthodox usage as Saint Anthousa the Younger (750 or 757 – 801 or 808 AD) is a saint venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. Anthusa's feast days in the Orthodox Church are 12 and 18 April, while her feast in the Catholic Church is 18 April. In the Catholic Church, Anthusa is patroness of convents and abbeys. She was the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Constantine V.

Life

Childhood During a campaign in Paphlagonia, Emperor Constantine V summoned the abbess Anthusa of Mantinea (Saint Anthousa the Elder), whom he had tortured earlier for venerating icons, and asked for her prayers due to the difficulty of the empress' pregnancy. The abbess predicted the birth of twins, and the daughter was named in her honor.

Religious life When Anthusa became of age, her father urged her to marry. However, Anthusa desired monasticism and did not follow the emperor's orders. After the death of her father, Anthusa used all her personal property to help the poor and the orphaned. The devout Empress Irene, Leo's consort and therefore Anthusa's sister-in-law, regarded Anthusa highly and invited her to be her co-regent during the minority of Constantine VI. However, Anthusa declined the offer. At court, she wore clothes befitting her position as the late emperor's daughter, but underneath her elaborate clothes, she wore a hair-shirt.

Anthusa entered the monastery of Saint Euthymia. She was later tonsured by Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople, and she founded the Omonoia Monastery ("omonoia" means 'concord' or 'charity') in Constantinople, which became known for its strict regulations.

Death According to one source, Anthusa lived to the age of fifty-two, and died in 801 AD. Other sources claim that she died in 808 at the age of fifty-seven.