Perpetua (died c. 423) was a late Roman abbess, the daughter of

Saint Monica Monica ( – 387) was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, partic ...

and Patricius, and the younger sister of

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

Biography

Although Augustine's sister is mentioned by him and

Possidius Possidius (5th century) was a friend of Augustine of Hippo who wrote a reliable biography and an ''indiculus'' or list of his works. He was bishop of Calama in the Roman province of Numidia. Biography The dates of his birth and death are unk ...

, neither give her name; the

Bollandists The Bollandist Society (; ) is an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christia ...

ascribe the name Perpetua to

sacred tradition Sacred tradition, also called holy tradition, Anno Domini tradition or apostolic tradition, is a theological term used in Christian theology. According to this theological position, sacred Tradition and Scripture form one ''deposit'', so sacred T ...

. Perpetua married and was widowed, then dedicated herself to a life of celibacy and became head of a convent. She died around 423. In his writings, Augustine does name their brother, Navigus. Possidius describes her in his ''Vita Augustini'' as "superior of the handmaids until her death", despite this, neither she, nor any other woman, was allowed to stay at Augustine's

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. He argued that although his sister, who was living a holy life, would be above "evil suspicion" - she would need to bring in female servants who may provide temptation.

Religious impact

Perpetua was an

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of a community of

consecrated virgin In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. Consecrated virgins are consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical ...

s in

Hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...

, This monastery was probably close to his own in Hippo, probably in behalf of Augustine. Augustine and Perpetua's nieces joined this religious foundation. The monastery was also well known for rescuing foundlings. This establishment seems to have run on similar lines to his - the nuns were allowed to leave the monastery for a variety of activities, including: visiting the baths, to the laundry, and to worship at external churches. He wrote ''Epistula 211'' addressed to the order, after the death of his sister, as they were suffering from internal dissent. It can be argued that Perpetua's influence was at its strongest after her death, with the writing of this letter to her community. It became known as the ''Rule of Nuns.'' One of its major warnings was of pride: whether you came from a humble or a rich background, there was danger that you may become proud of your

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

, which undid all its holy work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perpetua of Hippo 420s deaths Year of birth unknown 5th-century Roman women 4th-century Roman women 4th-century Romans Augustine of Hippo Christian abbesses 4th-century Christian nuns 5th-century Christian nuns

Biography

Religious impact

See also

References