LEA, saint. – Noble Roman widow of the fourth century. She was one of the most assiduous participants in the spiritual circle that had formed on the Aventine, in Marcella’s palace.
S. Girolamo, the teacher and spiritual director of that singular community from 382 to 385, calls L. « monasterii princeps » and « mater virginum » (Epist. XXXIII, 2), although one cannot speak of a properly organized cenobitic life.
She died in 384, and S. Girolamo himself composed her eulogy in a letter to Marcella (Epist. XXIII: Pl. 22, 425–27), recalling the deceased woman’s assiduity in prayer, leadership ability, and harsh penances. She is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 22 March.
BIBL.: Acta SS. Martii, III, Paris 1865, pp. 383–84; F. Cavallera, St Jérôme, sa vie et son oeuvre, part 1, I, Louvain 1922, p. 100 ff.; Martyr. Romanum, p. 108. Emanuele Romanelli