Paula of Rome
Roman noblewoman, Catholic saint, disciple of Saint Jerome and co-patron of the Hieronymite monks and nuns
Feast: 26 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Paula, of one of the first families of Rome, was widowed at thirty-two and became a model of Christian widows. Meeting St Jerome in 382, she was filled with longing for the monastic life; with her daughter Eustochium she mastered Hebrew to know the Scriptures better.
She went to the Holy Land, founded monasteries at Bethlehem, and ruined herself by her generosity. She died at Bethlehem in 404.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A Roman noblewoman who gave her wealth and life to God in Bethlehem.
Connected on this site
- Blaesilla Saint Child“She was born into a wealthy senatorial family in Rome, the eldest daughter of Paula of Rome and sister of Eustochium, who were members of a group of wealthy Christian women who followed the teachings of Jerome.” — Wikipedia
- Eustochium Saint Child
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Paula
- Wikidata Q237824 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Paula of Rome (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.