The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Saint Lea
d. AD 384 · Roman widow · Head of a house of virgins · Rome
The Nicene Age
Who Saint Lea was
A Roman widow who gave up a life of rank to govern a household of consecrated virgins, and whose quiet death Jerome set, in Epistle 23 to Marcella, against the grand funeral of a proud consul held the same day — the beggar and the rich man of the parable changing places before their eyes. She survives in that single luminous letter.
Jerome's Letter 23 alone.
Also listed in women.
Common questions
When did Saint Lea die?
Saint Lea is dated d. AD 384 in the archive, which places Saint Lea in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Saint Lea?
Saint Lea is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Jerome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Saint Lea from?
The archive associates Saint Lea with Rome.
Who were Saint Lea’s contemporaries?
The archive links Saint Lea to 2 other figures, including Jerome of Stridon and Blaesilla. 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.
Letter 23, To Marcella (on the death of Lea)
c. AD 393So complete was her conversion to the Lord that, becoming the head of a monastery, she showed herself a true mother to the virgins in it, wore coarse sackcloth instead of soft raiment, passed sleepless nights in prayer, and instructed her companions even more by example than by precept.Jerome · 23 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- 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
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Saint Lea.
- 1Rome