Venerable Melania the Roman (+439)
The Venerable Melania the Roman was born into a very rich and noble Roman family. The maiden, filled with divine love from childhood, was married at the age of fourteen, against her will, by her parents to a noble young man, Apinian. Saint Melania explained to her noble and understanding husband the highest virtues of the Christian faith, and asked him that they should spend this passing life in secret virginity under cover of marriage. Her husband promised Melania: when we have had two children, let us withdraw from the world together. Soon Melania bore a daughter. Melania’s second childbirth proved premature and difficult. A boy was born, who died immediately after baptism. Shaken by his wife’s suffering, Apinian besought the Lord to preserve Melania’s life, vowing that he would spend the rest of his life in chastity. Soon Apinian and Melania’s daughter committed her soul to the Lord. The blessed couple’s wish to dedicate their lives to the Lord was opposed by their parents; but when Melania’s father fell mortally ill, he asked the Lord’s chosen ones for forgiveness, blessed their choice and asked to be remembered in their prayers. The holy couple left the city of Rome and began a completely new life, devoting themselves to the service of God. At that time Apinian was twenty-four and Melania twenty. They visited the sick, gave generously to the poor, went round prisons and places of exile, and freed the unfortunates who were made to work there for debts. The blessed couple sold their estates in Italy and Spain and helped monks and nuns generously, and bought lands for monasteries in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia and Palestine. With their means many churches and hospitals were built. Melania and Apinian’s gifts were received by the Churches of both West and East. When the holy couple left their homeland and boarded a ship bound for Africa, a terrible storm broke out at sea. The sailors took this as a sign of God’s wrath, but the blessed Melania calmed them and advised them to entrust themselves to the will of the Creator of all. The waves cast the ship onto an island. The city built on the island was surrounded by barbarians, who were demanding a ransom from its inhabitants and otherwise threatened to destroy the city. Melania and Apinian gave the necessary sum and saved the city and its inhabitants from destruction. After arriving in Africa too the couple helped everyone in need unstintingly. At the same time Melania copied holy books and distributed them to the destitute. The blessed one sewed herself a garment of sackcloth with her own hands and never took it off.
The saints spent seven years in Africa, and then, leaving all their wealth behind, set out for Jerusalem. In Jerusalem Melania and Apinian distributed their remaining gold to the poor too, and spent their days in poverty and prayer. After a short journey in Egypt, during which they visited many desert fathers, Saint Melania shut herself up in a secluded cell on the Mount of Olives, and seldom met Apinian. Little by little a monastery grew up beside the cell, in which up to nine hundred virgins gathered. Out of humility Melania refused to be abbess of the convent and lived in solitude as before. Through her efforts a chapel and an altar were built in the convent, in which were placed relics of the holy Prophet Zacharias, of Stephen the Protomartyr and of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. At this time Saint Apinian committed his soul to the Lord. The blessed Melania committed his body to the earth and spent about four years at his grave in fasting and prayer.
After this the holy woman decided to build a monastery for men on the mountain from which Christ ascended. The Lord blessed her intention and brought forward a Christ-loving man who gave a generous offering for building the monastery. Melania received the money and completed this great work in a single year. After this Melania left Jerusalem and set out for Constantinople in the hope of converting her pagan uncle. On arriving in Constantinople the saint found her uncle ill. Under the influence of Melania’s talks he renounced paganism and committed his soul, cleansed by baptism, to the Lord. At that time many inhabitants of the capital were troubled by the heretical teaching of Nestorius. Saint Melania joyfully received all the perplexed who asked her for help. Through the blessed woman’s prayer many miracles took place. On returning to her monastery the holy ascetic sensed the approach of her end and told the presbyter and the sisters of it. They were all greatly grieved, and with tears listened to the last instructions of God’s chosen one. At last the holy ascetic asked them to pray for her, received the Holy Mysteries, and committed her soul to the Lord in peace. This happened in 439.
