Saint Basil the Elder (Greek: Βασιλείος ό Γέρος), father of St.
Basil the Great, was raised in Neocaesarea (modern day Turkey) in the Pontus.
The son of Macrina the Elder, Basil is said to have moved with his family to the shores of the Black Sea during the persecution of Christians under Galerius.
There, he and his wife, with the help of his mother, raised a family that would greatly influence Christian history.
[3][4] After his death, his family property was converted into a monastic community for female virgins.