Melania the Elder
Encyclopedia
Saint Melania the Elder or Maior (325–410) was a Desert Mother who was an influential figure in the Christian ascetic movement (the Desert Fathers and Mothers) that sprang up in the generation after the Emperor
Constantine
made Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire
. She was a contemporary of, and well known to, Abba Macarius and other Desert Fathers in Egypt, Saint Jerome
, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Paulinus of Nola (her cousin or cousin-in-law; he gives a colorful description of her visit to Nola in his Letters), and Evagrius of Pontus, and she founded a religious community on the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem.
Of women in the early history of the church, few records are found. However, there are some facts known about one such leader, "Melania the Elder" (325-410), one of the wealthiest citizens of the empire, who was born in Spain
, married at fourteen, and lived with her husband Valerius Maximus Basilius
in the suburbs of Rome
. She lost her husband and two out of three sons to disease when she was twenty-two. She moved with her remaining son Valerius Publicola or Poplicola to Rome.
She became a Christian
in Rome
and set off to Alexandria
to meet up with other Christian ascetics. – with her wealthy Roman relatives opposing her bitterly.
She stayed with the monks in the desert near Alexandria, Egypt (today the area is known as Wadi Natroun and the Coptic Christian monks can still be visited there). When persecution broke out after the death of Bishop Athanasius in 373 and many of the monks were exiled to Palestine, Melania went with them to aid them, visiting them in prison by night disguised in a slave's hood. (source: Rosemary Ruether's book cited below)
After the monks were freed about five years later (Ruether), Melania arrived in Jerusalem where she founded a monastery with Tyrannius Rufinus
on the Mount of Olives
.
She left for Rome to see her son, who had married Caeionia Albina, born ca 368, daughter of Caeionius Rufius Albinus and wife, and influenced his daughter, also named Melania. His daughter is known as Saint Melania the Younger
or Minor after taking up the religious calling like her grandmother.
She returned to Palestine
in 404 and died in 410 in Jerusalem.
She is regarded as a saint
. Her feast day is June 8.
Because of her involvement as a pro-Origenist in the controversy over Origen in the 390s, Jerome was especially vitriolic about her, punning on her name and calling her "black in name and black in nature." (He tried to expunge his earlier lavish praises of her from his writings.) She is more highly regarded in the Eastern Orthodox Church. She was a spiritual mentor to Evagrius of Pontus, later author of the Eastern Orthodox Philokalia; she persuaded him to go to Egypt to join the desert ascetics and carried on a correspondence with him while he was there (His letters are published in German under the title "Letters from the Desert"). A good biography of Melania the Elder can be found in Rosemary Ruether's chapter, "Mothers of the Church: Ascetic Women in the Late Patristic Age," in Rosemary Ruether and Eleanor McLaughlin, eds., Women of Spirit: Female Leadership in the Jewish and Christian Traditions," New York, Simon and Schuster, 1979,from which most of the details in this paragraph were obtained. Peter Brown's books on Late Antiquity are another good source.
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
made Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
the official religion of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. She was a contemporary of, and well known to, Abba Macarius and other Desert Fathers in Egypt, Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome is a Christian church father, best known for translating the Bible into Latin.Saint Jerome may also refer to:*Jerome of Pavia , Bishop of Pavia...
, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Paulinus of Nola (her cousin or cousin-in-law; he gives a colorful description of her visit to Nola in his Letters), and Evagrius of Pontus, and she founded a religious community on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
in Jerusalem.
Of women in the early history of the church, few records are found. However, there are some facts known about one such leader, "Melania the Elder" (325-410), one of the wealthiest citizens of the empire, who was born in Spain
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
, married at fourteen, and lived with her husband Valerius Maximus Basilius
Valerius Maximus Basilius
Valerius Maximus Basilius was a Proconsul of Achaea and a Praefectus Urbi Romae between 361 and 363.He was the son of Lucius Valerius Maximus Basilius and second wife Vulcacia. He married Saint Melania the Elder or Maior, one of the wealthiest citizens of the empire, born in Hispania, when she was...
in the suburbs of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She lost her husband and two out of three sons to disease when she was twenty-two. She moved with her remaining son Valerius Publicola or Poplicola to Rome.
She became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and set off to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
to meet up with other Christian ascetics. – with her wealthy Roman relatives opposing her bitterly.
She stayed with the monks in the desert near Alexandria, Egypt (today the area is known as Wadi Natroun and the Coptic Christian monks can still be visited there). When persecution broke out after the death of Bishop Athanasius in 373 and many of the monks were exiled to Palestine, Melania went with them to aid them, visiting them in prison by night disguised in a slave's hood. (source: Rosemary Ruether's book cited below)
After the monks were freed about five years later (Ruether), Melania arrived in Jerusalem where she founded a monastery with Tyrannius Rufinus
Tyrannius Rufinus
Tyrannius Rufinus or Rufinus of Aquileia was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is most known as a translator of Greek patristic material into Latin—especially the work of Origen.-Life:...
on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
.
She left for Rome to see her son, who had married Caeionia Albina, born ca 368, daughter of Caeionius Rufius Albinus and wife, and influenced his daughter, also named Melania. His daughter is known as Saint Melania the Younger
Melania the Younger
Saint Melania the Younger is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder.The Feast of Melania the Younger is held on December 31...
or Minor after taking up the religious calling like her grandmother.
She returned to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in 404 and died in 410 in Jerusalem.
She is regarded as a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. Her feast day is June 8.
Because of her involvement as a pro-Origenist in the controversy over Origen in the 390s, Jerome was especially vitriolic about her, punning on her name and calling her "black in name and black in nature." (He tried to expunge his earlier lavish praises of her from his writings.) She is more highly regarded in the Eastern Orthodox Church. She was a spiritual mentor to Evagrius of Pontus, later author of the Eastern Orthodox Philokalia; she persuaded him to go to Egypt to join the desert ascetics and carried on a correspondence with him while he was there (His letters are published in German under the title "Letters from the Desert"). A good biography of Melania the Elder can be found in Rosemary Ruether's chapter, "Mothers of the Church: Ascetic Women in the Late Patristic Age," in Rosemary Ruether and Eleanor McLaughlin, eds., Women of Spirit: Female Leadership in the Jewish and Christian Traditions," New York, Simon and Schuster, 1979,from which most of the details in this paragraph were obtained. Peter Brown's books on Late Antiquity are another good source.