| − | St. Melania the Younger (383-439 A.D.) | + | '''St. Melania the Younger''' (383-439 A.D.) was a wealthy Christian who gave away her great wealth, using it to help the poor, free 8,000 slaves, and support monasteries and churches. She was devoted to the idea of celibacy. |
| | Melania was born in 383 in Rome, a daughter of wealthy Christians-- Publicola, a Roman senator, and Albina. Influenced by her grandmother living in Jerusalem, Melania developed ascetic tendencies at an early age<ref>Henry Wace, D.D., Ed., A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Hendrickson Publihsers, Peabody, MA, 1994, p.717</ref> Her wealthy and ambitious father did not agree, so he forced her marriage at age 14 to Valerius Pinianus, then 17.<ref>Dictionary of Christian Biography, p.717</ref><ref>Catholic Online, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=426</ref> Her two children died soon after childbirth, and her husband conceded to a life of celibacy. | | Melania was born in 383 in Rome, a daughter of wealthy Christians-- Publicola, a Roman senator, and Albina. Influenced by her grandmother living in Jerusalem, Melania developed ascetic tendencies at an early age<ref>Henry Wace, D.D., Ed., A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Hendrickson Publihsers, Peabody, MA, 1994, p.717</ref> Her wealthy and ambitious father did not agree, so he forced her marriage at age 14 to Valerius Pinianus, then 17.<ref>Dictionary of Christian Biography, p.717</ref><ref>Catholic Online, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=426</ref> Her two children died soon after childbirth, and her husband conceded to a life of celibacy. |