Marcellina of Milan

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Statue of St. Marcellina

Marcellina of Milan (* around 327 in Trier , † around 398 in Milan ) was an early Christian consecrated virgin and saint . She was the older sister of the martyr Satyrus and the church father Ambrose . Her feast day is July 17th.

Vita

Marcellina was probably born in Trier around the year 327 as the daughter of the Roman prefect Aurelius Ambrosius. She traveled to Rome even before her father died . The church of Sant'Ambrogio della Massima now stands in the place where, according to tradition, she and her brother lived . Marcellina soon decided to follow Christ and vowed eternal virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. As a virgin, she led an ascetic life of prayer and solitude. On Christmas day around the year 353 she received the veil of the consecrated virgin from the hand of Pope Liberius . The Pope's homily at Marcellina's Virgin Consecration is from St. Ambrosius narrated.

After Ambrose's elevation to Bishop of Milan (374), Ambrose called his sister to him. Marcellina supported him in his work and worked among the consecrated virgins of Milan. According to another interpretation, she stayed in Rome after Ambrose's appointment and died there too. Ambrosius dedicated his work on Christian virginity (Libri III de virginibus ad Marcellinam) to her , which he completed in 377.

Marcellina survived her brother and died around the year 398. She was buried in the crypt under the altar of the Ambrosian basilica in Milan.

Adoration

Only a few churches have the patronage of St. Marcellina.

presentation

Medieval representations of Marcellina are not known. The rare modern portraits show her as a young woman with a long headscarf or veil.

Web links

Commons : Marcellina of Milan  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ambrosius, De virginibus ad Marcellinam sororem ( On the virgins to Sister Marcellina ; Christian-ethical writing on virginity in three books; online ) at 377/378. Translation by Johannes Evangelist Niederhuber: About the virgins three books , in: Des holy church father Ambrosius selected writings vol. 3; Library of the Church Fathers , 1st row, Volume 32. Kempten; Munich 1917.
  2. ^ Contextus, Festschrift for S. Schrenk (Münster 2020), 596–610
personal data
SURNAME Marcellina of Milan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Marcellina
BRIEF DESCRIPTION early Christian virgin and saint, sister of St. Ambrose
DATE OF BIRTH at 327
PLACE OF BIRTH trier
DATE OF DEATH at 398
Place of death Milan