Theoktiste 1 was also called Phlorina (Θεοκτίστην τὴν οὕτω Φλωρίναν κατονομαζομένην: Theoph. Cont. III 5 (p. 89); Θεοκτίστη, ἡ καὶ Φλωρῖνα ἐπωνομάζετο: Zon.); wife of Marinos 10; possibly a native of Ebissa in Paphlagonia (her daughter Theodora 2's native place); she and her husband were piously educated and devout venerators of icons; she had a daughter, Theodora 2, who married the emperor Theophilos (Theophilos 5); she was mother also of Kalomaria 1, Sophia 1, Eirene 4, Petronas 5 and Bardas 5; under her son-in-law's reign she was made zoste patrikia (καὶ ἡ αὐτῆς μήτηρ Θεοκτίστη ζωστή τε καὶ πατρικία τετίμητο: Theoph. Cont. III 5 (p. 90); ζωστὴ καὶ πατρικία τετίμητο: Zon.); she owned a house in Constantinople which she had purchased from the patrikios Niketas (cf. Niketas 12) and which subsequently was converted into the monastery of Ta Gastria (the same story is told in Pseudo-Symeon of Euphrosyne 1, but the latter was not in fact the grandmother of the little girls, see below); there she was visited by Theodora's five little girls, her grandchildren (Thekla 1, Anna 2, Anastasia 2, Poulcheria 1 and Maria 4), whom she delighted with gifts and whom she also taught to reject the iconoclasm of their father and to do honour to holy icons; she was found out by Theophilos 5 and he stopped the children from visiting her, but did nothing else against her, respecting her well-known piety and also her strength of character; she is said to have been the only person who dared openly to criticise his iconoclast policies and to reproach him to his face: Theoph. Cont. III 5 (pp. 89-91), Zon. XV 26. 1-9.

After the death of Theophilos 5, Theoktiste 1 encouraged Theodora 2 to restore the veneration of icons: Zon. XVI 1. 8. Recorded as the founder of the monastery of Ta Gastria, to which her granddaughters were sent in the reign of Basil I (Basilios 7): Zon. XVI 3. 6 (τὴν τῆς πρὸς μητρὸς αὐταῖς μάμμης μονὴν, ἡ Γάστρια καλεῖται; unnamed, but the μάμμη must be Theoktiste). Unnamed patrikia, she was the mother of Theodora 2 and urged her to restore the veneration of icons; she had other children too: Genesius IV 2 (πατρικίας τῆς ταύτης μητρός).

Recorded on a seal: Zacos II, no. 1083 = Oikonomides, Dated Seals, pp. 56-57, no. 48. The seal has a cruciform monogram of Θεοτόκε βοήθει and the inscription: [Θεο]κτίστης ζοστῆς πατρι[κίας ]- + καὶ μη - τηρ της - βασιλει - σης. The owner of this seal is to be identified with the mother of the empress Theodora (Theodora 2), who was made zoste patrikia in c. 830 when her daughter received the imperial crown: Theoktiste 1; see Oikonomides, Dated Seals, p. 57. The date of the seal is therefore in or after 830.

Theoktiste 1 was the wife of Marinos 10: Scyl., p. 52, lines 68-69. Theoktiste 1 was the mother (μητέρα) of Theodora 2: Scyl., p. 52, line 68. Theoktiste 1 was also named Phlorina (Φλωρῖναν): Scyl., p. 52, line 69. Theoktiste 1 with Marinos 10 was described as pious (εὐσεβείᾳ): Scyl., p. 52, line 69. When Theodora 2 was crowned, her mother (ἡ ταύτης μήτηρ) Theoktiste 1 was dignified with the title zoste patrikia (ζωστή ... πατρικία): Scyl., p. 52, line 72-73. Theoktiste 1 lived in her own house which later became Ta Gastria monastery: Scyl., p. 52, line 75. Theoktiste 1 influenced the children of Theodora 2 (τὰς τῆς Θεοδώρας μετακαλουμένη παῖδας: Scyl., p.52:75) amongst whom were numbered Thekla 1, Anna 2, Anastasia 2, Poulcheria 1 and Maria 4 towards the veneration of icons: Scyl., p. 52, lines 76-81.

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