Melania the Younger

Melania the Younger or Melanie (* about 383 in Rome, † December 31 439 on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in Palestine ) was a Christian saint.

Melania was granddaughter of the elder Melania. Her family was wealthy; the father was a senator and had a palace in the middle of Rome. She was deeply impressed by Jerome, who had I. strong spiritual influence during his time as a consultant and secretary of Pope Damasus and many young people, especially women, captivated. But under pressure from the family she had married at the age of 13 years; Pinianus her husband was 17 years old.

Her two children died at and shortly after birth. When she barely survived giving birth to her second child, the couple decided to abstinence. Her husband promised to pay desire for abstinence in the future Melania. More and more attracted Melania her husband in their world of faith into it. All earthly wealth they left behind and devoted himself to the injustices of the world: You sold over time their possessions and thus bought 8000 slaves free and gave the proceeds to the poor, churches and monasteries. She made pilgrimages to Paulinus of Nola, Rufinus of Aquileia, Augustine and Cyril in North Africa and to the monasteries in Egypt. 417, she moved with her husband to the Holy Land. After her husband's death in 431, she lived as a hermit in a tent on the Mount of Olives, which eventually became a monastery. At her death, the formerly richest woman in the Roman Empire still had 50 pieces of gold, which they handed over to the local bishop of Jerusalem for social projects.

Their attributes are cabbage (waiving sumptuous meal ) and skull.