Aelia Flaccilla
4th-century Roman empress
Feast: 14 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Aelia Flaccilla, of Spanish descent, married Theodosius the Great about 376 and was mother of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius. Like her husband, she was a zealous supporter of the Nicene Creed and prevented a meeting between the emperor and the Arian Eunomius.
On the throne she was a shining example of Christian virtue. She died about 385 or 386.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
An empress who defended the Nicene faith and lived a Christian life on the throne.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Ælia Flaccilla
- Wikidata Q235603 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Aelia Flaccilla (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.