When is Theodora’s name day?

Theodora can be celebrated on 3 feasts in the Orthodox calendar. People keep the feast of the saint they were named for, or the one their family has always kept.

Every feast on which Theodora is celebrated

The saints behind the name

• Theodora the Empress

  February 11, Holy Woman, Θεοδώρα η Βασίλισσα

  St. Theodora was the wife of the iconoclast Emperor Theophilos. Throughout his reign she secretly venerated the holy icons, and after his death, ruling as regent for her son Michael, she convened the council of 843 that restored the icons to the churches, an event celebrated each year as the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

  Name days: Theodora, Dora, Thea, Theodori, Dorothea

• Theodora of Arta

  March 11, Holy Woman, Θεοδώρα της Άρτας

  St. Theodora was born of the noble Petraliphas family in the thirteenth century and married Michael II Doukas, Despot of Epirus. Slandered and driven from the court by a rival, she endured years of exile with patience until her husband repented and restored her; she then used her position to found churches and monasteries and to care for the poor.

  Name days: Theodora

• 

  Theodora of Alexandria

  September 11, Holy Woman, Θεοδώρα

  St. Theodora of Alexandria lived in the fifth century. Having fallen into sin, she was seized with deep repentance and, disguising herself in men's clothing, entered a monastery under the name of the monk Theodore, where she labored for years in humility, obedience, and secret tears, patiently bearing even false accusation.

  Name days: Theodora, Dora, Thea, Theodori

Also celebrating with Theodora

These names share the feast, many of them other forms of the same name:

Dora, Thea, Theodori, Dorothea

What to say on a name day

The Greek wish is Χρόνια Πολλά (Chronia Polla), “many years.” A call or a short message on the day is what people remember. See name day wishes you can send and what a name day is.