Saint Olympias was born sometime between 360 and 365 into an illustrious and wealthy Christian family in Constantinople. She was known for her deep faith, generosity, and charity. Her father, identified in historical sources as Secundus or Selencus, held the rank of Count in the imperial administration. One of her ancestors, Ablabius, had served as consul in 331 and later as praetorian prefect of the East, showing the high standing of her family within the empire.
Since Olympias was not yet thirty years old in the year 390, historians conclude that she was born no earlier than 361. She lost both her parents at a young age and inherited a vast fortune. Around 384 or 385, she married Nebridius, who was then Prefect of Constantinople. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, who had previously lived in the city, was invited to the wedding but declined due to his absence, sending instead a letter and a poem for the bride. The marriage was short lived, as Nebridius died soon afterward, leaving Olympias a young and childless widow.
After her husband’s death, Olympias firmly refused all proposals of remarriage. She chose instead to dedicate her life entirely to God and to works of mercy. Recognizing her holiness and commitment, Nectarius, Bishop of Constantinople, consecrated her as a deaconess of the Church.
For a time, the emperor placed her estate under the supervision of the urban prefect. In 391, following the defeat of the usurper Maximus, Olympias regained full control of her property. With her resources, she built a convent near the principal church of Constantinople. Together with three relatives and many other women, she entered this community to live a life of prayer, service, and charity.
When Saint John Chrysostom became Bishop of Constantinople in 398, he became the spiritual guide of Saint Olympias and her companions. Because many people sought her help, not always with honest intentions, Chrysostom advised her on how best to use her wealth for the true good of the poor and the Church. Olympias placed herself fully under his guidance and generously supported his pastoral and charitable works. Her generosity extended far beyond Constantinople, reaching churches and needy people throughout the empire.
When Saint John Chrysostom was unjustly exiled, Saint Olympias remained steadfast in her loyalty to him. She supported him in every way she could and refused to recognize or communicate with the bishop appointed in his place. Chrysostom, in turn, strengthened and consoled her through his letters. Seventeen of these letters survive and offer a moving testimony to the spiritual bond between the saintly bishop and his devoted disciple.
Because of her unwavering support for Chrysostom, Saint Olympias herself was eventually exiled. She died only a few months after him, on July 25, 408, most likely in Nicomedia. After her death, she was widely venerated as a saint. A biography written in the latter half of the fifth century, drawing on the writings of Palladius and accounts of Chrysostom’s life, attests to the great respect and devotion she inspired.
During the riots in Constantinople in 532, the convent founded by Saint Olympias and the nearby church were destroyed. Emperor Justinian later ordered their reconstruction. The prioress Sergia arranged for the transfer of Saint Olympias’s relics from the ruined church of Saint Thomas at Brokhthes to the rebuilt convent. Sergia herself recorded the details of this translation.
Saint Olympias is commemorated in the Greek Church on July 24 and in the Roman Church on December 17.