The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Amma Piamoun
d. c. AD 395 · Virgin and prophetess of the Egyptian villages · the Delta, Egypt
The Nicene Age
Who Amma Piamoun was
A virgin who lived all her years with her mother, spinning flax and eating at evening — and to whom, when a stronger village marched at flood-time to seize her village's water, the coming violence was shown in prayer. The elders begged her to go out and treat; she stood all night in prayer instead, and the raiders froze fast in their tracks at the third milestone until they swore peace. Palladius entered her among the fathers without apology: the gift of prophecy, resident in a flax-spinner.
Lausiac History 31 only.
Also listed in women.
Common questions
When did Amma Piamoun die?
Amma Piamoun is dated d. c. AD 395 in the archive, which places Amma Piamoun in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Amma Piamoun?
Amma Piamoun is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Palladius of Galatia. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Amma Piamoun from?
The archive associates Amma Piamoun with the Delta, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Amma Piamoun’s contemporaries?
The archive links Amma Piamoun to 2 other figures, including Amma Talis and Amma Alexandra. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The Lausiac History 31
c. AD 420She stood the whole night in prayer, and the aggressors were held fast where they stood, unable to move, until they learned it was her intercession that bound them — and sent and made peace.Palladius of Galatia · 31 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
- AD 378 · Queen Mavia’s revolt, AD 378
- AD 380 · The Edict of Thessalonica, AD 380
- AD 381 · The Council of Constantinople, AD 381
- AD 381 · The Council of Aquileia, AD 381
- AD 384 · The Altar of Victory petition, AD 384
- AD 390 · Thessalonica and the penance of Theodosius, AD 390
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Amma Piamoun.
- 1Egyptprovince only