Gregory Thaumaturgus
Basil was born into the wealthy Cappadocian Greek family of Basil the Elder, and Emmelia of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, around 330. His parents were known for their piety. His maternal grandfather was a Christian martyr, executed in the years prior to Constantine I's conversion. His pious paternal grandmother, Macrina, a follower of Gregory Thaumaturgus (who had founded the nearby church of Neocaesarea), raised Basil and his four siblings (who also are now venerated as saints): Macrina the Younger, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa.