Saint Marcellina
Sister of Saint Ambrose of Milan
Feast: 17 July (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Marcellina, only sister of St Ambrose, chose a life of consecrated virginity in Rome and received the veil from Pope Liberius on Christmas Day, probably in 353.
When Ambrose became Bishop of Milan he called her there, and she helped him spread the ascetic life among the young women of Milan; he dedicated his work on virginity to her. She died about 398 and was honoured as a saint.
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
St Ambrose's sister and helper in the consecrated life.
Connected on this site
- Ambrose Saint Brother or sister
- Satyrus of Milan Saint Brother or sister“327 – 397) was born in Trier, Gaul the daughter of the Praetorian prefect of Gaul, and was the elder sister of Ambrose of Milan and Satyrus of Milan.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Marcellina
- Wikidata Q299955 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Saint Marcellina (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.