MARCELLINA, Saint. - Elder sister of St. Ambrose, born around 330, probably at Trier, where her father was praetorian prefect, died in 398 very probably at Milan. After her father's death, she received the veil of virgins at Rome, from the hands of Pope Liberius, on Christmas night of 353.

At her request St. Ambrose wrote the three books De virginibus (PL 16, 197-244), which he dedicated to her. He also sent her three letters (Epp. 20, 22, 41: PL 16): in the first he describes his conflict with the empress Justina and Valentinian II, her son; in the second he announces the discovery of the bodies of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius; in the third he reports his speech to Theodosius to have him revoke the edict issued against certain Christians who had burned a Jewish synagogue. In the discourse on the death of his brother Satyrus, Ambrose alludes to the grief felt by his sister at that sad event (De excessu fratris Satyri, I, 33: PL 16).

M. was buried in the crypt of the basilica of St. Ambrose, near her brother. She is commemorated in the Ambrosian Calendar of the 11th century on July 17, the day on which her feast is celebrated.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Acta SS. Iulii, IV, Paris 1868, pp. 231-38; L. Biraghi, Vita della vergine romano-milanese s. M., 4th ed., Milan 1889; G. Appia, Souvenirs historiques de ste Marcelline, Paris 1892; Martyr. Romanum, p. 293.

Emanuele Romanelli

@incollection{ec8_marcellina_santa, author = {Romanelli, Emanuele}, title = {Marcellina, santa}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {8--9}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/marcellina-santa} }

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Marcellina, Saint

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