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Melania the Younger
c. 383 – 439 · b. Rome
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Quick facts
- Born
- c. 383, Rome
- Died
- 439, Jerusalem
- Region
- west
- Era
- post nicene
- Significance
- Notable(2/4)
- Also known as
- Melania Iunior
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Granddaughter of Melania the Elder.
- Primary source
- Gerontius, Vita Sanctae Melaniae Iunioris
Granddaughter of Melania the Elder. Together with her husband Pinianus she renounced one of the largest fortunes in the late Roman world, freeing thousands of slaves and endowing monasteries across the Mediterranean. After residing in North Africa during the Vandal advance, where she met Augustine and Alypius, she settled in Jerusalem and founded monasteries on the Mount of Olives. Her Greek and Latin Vita, by her chaplain Gerontius, is a major source for early 5th-century asceticism and aristocratic Christianity.
Recommended reading near Melania the Younger
A cover-visible starting point chosen from the curated reading path, either by this figure or by their era.
Chain to Jesus
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Common questions
- Who was Melania the Younger?
- Melania the Younger (383–439) — Granddaughter of Melania the Elder. Together with her husband Pinianus she renounced one of the largest fortunes in the late Roman world, freeing thousands of slaves and endowing monasteries across the Mediterranean. After residing in North Africa during the Vandal advance, where she met Augustine and Alypius, she settled in Jerusalem and founded monasteries on the Mount of Olives. Her Greek and Latin Vita, by her chaplain Gerontius, is a major source for early 5th-century asceticism and aristocratic Christianity.
- Who taught Melania the Younger?
- Melania the Elder.
- Who did Melania the Younger meet?
- Augustine of Hippo and Cyril of Alexandria.
Sources for biography
- Gerontius, Vita Sanctae Melaniae Iunioris primary
- Palladius, Historia Lausiaca 61 primary
- ODCC s.v. Melania the Younger, St secondary
documented connections(2)
- Gerontius's Vita records Melania and Pinianus residing near Hippo c. 410-417 and meeting Augustine and Alypius; Augustine's Letter 124 is addressed to them.Gerontius, Vita Melaniae Iunioris 20-21 · Augustine, Epistula 124
- taught by Melania the ElderGranddaughter; the Vita stresses Melania the Elder's ascetic example as decisive for the younger Melania's vocation.Gerontius, Vita Melaniae Iunioris 1, 6
tradition connections(1)
- Vita Melaniae reports a visit to Alexandria where she received Cyril; primary attestation rests on the Vita alone.Gerontius, Vita Melaniae Iunioris 34