Name day
Basil: Name Day and Patron Saint
Basil keeps the name day on 1 January, or 14 January on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Basil the Great.
- Patron saint
- St Basil the Great
- New Calendar
- 1 January
- Old Calendar
- 14 January
- Next name day
- 1 January 2027 (New Calendar) · 14 January 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of January
The patron saint: St Basil the Great
Kept on 1 January, or 14 January on the Old Calendar · St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea
St Basil was born about the year 330 at Caesarea in Cappadocia, into a wealthy Christian family that gave the Church a household of saints: his mother Emilia, his sister Macrina and his brothers Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste among them. At Athens he formed a lifelong friendship with St Gregory the Theologian. Turning from a career in rhetoric, he visited the great ascetics of Egypt, Syria and Palestine, gave away his wealth and gathered monks into a common life, and at their request wrote rules for the monastic life. He was chosen Bishop of Caesarea in 370. When the Arian emperor Valens sent his prefect to threaten him with exile and death, Basil answered without fear, and the emperor left him in peace. He spent his own fortune and the church’s income on the poor, built a poor-house in every center of his diocese and a home for wanderers and the homeless at Caesarea. He defended the divinity of the Holy Spirit and wrote on the six days of creation, on the Psalms and on Isaiah, with many letters. The Divine Liturgy that bears his name is served ten times a year, on the eves of Christmas and Theophany, on the Sundays of Great Lent, on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday, and on his feast. He reposed on 1 January 379, and the Church keeps his memory on 1 January (14 January on the Old Calendar). The faithful ask his prayers for the poor, for monastics, and for a sound faith.
What the faithful pray for
- the poor, the homeless and travelers
- all who care for the sick and the needy
- monks and nuns
- students and teachers
- steadfastness in the true faith
Other saints named Basil
St Basil of Ostrog
Kept on 29 April, or 12 May on the Old Calendar · St Basil of Ostrog, the Wonderworker
The bishop of Hercegovina whose relics in the cliff monastery of Ostrog draw pilgrims of every faith.
What the faithful pray for
- healing
- deliverance from evil spirits
Sts Basil and Constantine
Kept on 8 June, or 21 June on the Old Calendar
Basil in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Basil, Vasili, Vasily, Wassily, Basile | |
| Greek | Βασίλειος, Vasileios, Vasilios, Vassilios | Βασίλης, Βάσος, Λάκης, Vasilis, Vassilis, Vasos, Bill, Billy, Lakis |
| Russian | Василий, Vasily, Vasiliy, Vasilii | Вася, Василёк, Vasya, Vasia |
| Ukrainian | Василь, Vasyl | Васько, Vasko |
| Belarusian | Васіль, Vasil | |
| Bulgarian | Васил, Vasil | |
| Serbian | Василије, Васо, Vasilije, Vaso | |
| Romanian | Vasile | Vasilică, Sile |
| Georgian | Vasil | |
| Arabic | باسيل, Bassil, Basile, Basil |
An icon for Basil
We don't carry an icon of St Basil the Great yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel
Another holy bishop$99$69
Folding diptychSt John the Silent & Guardian Angel
Another holy bishop$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Basil
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Other names with this saint
Questions
When is Basil’s name day?
Basil keeps the name day on 1 January on the New Calendar and on 14 January on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Basil the Great.
Who is the patron saint of Basil?
St Basil the Great. St Basil was born about the year 330 at Caesarea in Cappadocia, into a wealthy Christian family that gave the Church a household of saints: his mother Emilia, his sister Macrina and his brothers Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste among them.
How is Basil written in other languages?
Greek: Βασίλειος (Vasileios), Russian: Василий (Vasily), Ukrainian: Василь (Vasyl), Belarusian: Васіль (Vasil), Bulgarian: Васил (Vasil) and Serbian: Василије (Vasilije). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Basil?
We don’t carry an icon of St Basil the Great yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name