There are precious few descriptions of Saint Emily’s life. She was the daughter of a [[martyr]] and the daughter-in-law of Macrina the Elder. Along with her husband Basil the Elder, she gave birth to ten children. She instilled the [[Orthodox]] faith in her children, teaching them to pray and devote their lives to the service of the [[Church]]. As a result of her zealous yet maternal instruction of her children, five of them are commemorated as [[saint|saints]] on the calendar of the Church: Saints [[Macrina the Younger|Macrina]], [[Basil the Great|Basil]], [[Peter of Sebaste]], [[Gregory of Nyssa]], and [[Theosebia the Deaconess|Theosebia]], a deaconess. Therefore, Saint Emily is often called without exaggeration “the mother of saints.