Venerable Gregory of Nicomedia

Gregory of Nicomedia, or Gregory the Ascetic of the Gulf of Nicomedia (c. 1190–1240), was a Greek Orthodox hieromonk and ascetic. He is venerated as a saint. Gregory was born in the region of Bithynia. His secular name is unknown. His parents were Orthodox Christians of noble and distinguished lineage. According to his hagiography, Gregory received a good secular education. He later entered one of the finest monasteries, where he was tonsured and trained in church chanting, subsequently being ordained as a deacon and then as a priest. Pursued by the envy of others, Gregory moved to another monastery located in the vicinity of a village, where his own brother lived. He practiced asceticism there alongside his brother. After living in the monastery for three years, Gregory requested permission from the abbot to depart for a more secluded place. Seeking a life of silence, he ascended a nearby mountain located in the gulf near Nicomedia, where he decided to remain permanently. He built a kalyva, or small hut. Gregory died at the age of 50. He left no written works. His memory is not recorded in the ancient synaxaria of the Greek Church. The saint's hagiography was written in the mid-14th century by Joseph Kalothetos, who died in 1355. In 1803, Nicodemus the Hagiorite included Gregory's life in his book Neon Eklogion under the date of April 2.