Demetrias (daughter of Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius)
Encyclopedia
Demetrias was a Roman noblewoman, member of the powerful family of the Anicii
and acquaintance of several churchmen.
and Amnia; she is described as the noblest and richest person in the Roman world in the 410s.
In 410, in occasion of the sack of Rome
, Demetrias left Rome with her mother Iuliana and with her paternal grandmother Anicia Faltonia Proba
and went to Carthage
; here they were imprisoned by the comes Heraclianus
, and freed only after a huge payment.
Her mother and her grandmother, while they lived in Carthage, come in contact with Augustine of Hippo
, who helped them to follow the path of a religious life. Demetrias, who was about fifteen years old in 413, was to be married, but she secretly followed an ascetical way of life, influenced by Augustine. She did not tell about her choice to her relatives, as she feared to displease them, but as her marriage was near, she decided to tell her mother Iuliana and her grandmother Proba about her intention to renounce to marry and to take the veil. Her relatives were very happy with her, and, in 413, Demetrias took the veil in a ceremony celebrated by Bishop Aurelius of Carthage.
To help her in her spiritual life, Iuliana and Proba asked several churchmen to send Demetrias advices. Augustine answered suggesting the reading of his De sancta virginitate, Jerome sent a long letter with several advices, while Pelagius
, a theologian opposed by Augustine, addressed her a treaty under the form of a letter, the Epistola ad Demetriam.
Later in her life, Demetrias returned to her native city of Rome
. In this period she received the Epistula ad Demetriadem de vera humilitate, written in 440 by Pope Leo I
or, according to recent studies, in 435 by Prosper of Aquitaine
, and attacking Pelagius' doctrine on the basis of Augustine.
Demetrias built a church devoted to Saint Stephen
along the Via Latina
(41°51′41.81"N 12°32′15.17"E ), at three miles from Rome, on one of her properties. She died during the pontificate of Pope Leo I
.
Anicia (gens)
The gens Anicia was a plebeian family at Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the 4th century BC The first of the Anicii under to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war against the Illyrii during the Third Macedonian War, in 168 BC.A noble family...
and acquaintance of several churchmen.
Biography
Anicia Demetrias, born around 398, was the daughter of Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius, consul in 395, and of Anicia Iuliana, and thus member of the noble gentes AniciaAnicia (gens)
The gens Anicia was a plebeian family at Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the 4th century BC The first of the Anicii under to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war against the Illyrii during the Third Macedonian War, in 168 BC.A noble family...
and Amnia; she is described as the noblest and richest person in the Roman world in the 410s.
In 410, in occasion of the sack of Rome
Sack of Rome (410)
The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire, replaced in this position initially by Mediolanum and then later Ravenna. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a...
, Demetrias left Rome with her mother Iuliana and with her paternal grandmother Anicia Faltonia Proba
Anicia Faltonia Proba
Anicia Faltonia Proba was a Roman noblewoman of the gens Anicia.- Biography :Proba's father was Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius ; the famous poet Faltonia Betitia Proba was a relative...
and went to Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
; here they were imprisoned by the comes Heraclianus
Heraclianus
Marcus Aurelius Heraclianus was a Roman soldier who rose to the rank of Praetorian Prefect in the latter part of the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. He was a member of the cabal of senior commanders of the Imperial field army that plotted and achieved the assassionation of the Emperor Gallienus....
, and freed only after a huge payment.
Her mother and her grandmother, while they lived in Carthage, come in contact with Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
, who helped them to follow the path of a religious life. Demetrias, who was about fifteen years old in 413, was to be married, but she secretly followed an ascetical way of life, influenced by Augustine. She did not tell about her choice to her relatives, as she feared to displease them, but as her marriage was near, she decided to tell her mother Iuliana and her grandmother Proba about her intention to renounce to marry and to take the veil. Her relatives were very happy with her, and, in 413, Demetrias took the veil in a ceremony celebrated by Bishop Aurelius of Carthage.
To help her in her spiritual life, Iuliana and Proba asked several churchmen to send Demetrias advices. Augustine answered suggesting the reading of his De sancta virginitate, Jerome sent a long letter with several advices, while Pelagius
Pelagius
Pelagius was an ascetic who denied the need for divine aid in performing good works. For him, the only grace necessary was the declaration of the law; humans were not wounded by Adam's sin and were perfectly able to fulfill the law apart from any divine aid...
, a theologian opposed by Augustine, addressed her a treaty under the form of a letter, the Epistola ad Demetriam.
Later in her life, Demetrias returned to her native city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In this period she received the Epistula ad Demetriadem de vera humilitate, written in 440 by Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I was pope from September 29, 440 to his death.He was an Italian aristocrat, and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452, persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy...
or, according to recent studies, in 435 by Prosper of Aquitaine
Prosper of Aquitaine
Saint Prosper of Aquitaine , a Christian writer and disciple of Saint Augustine of Hippo, was the first continuator of Jerome's Universal Chronicle.- Life :...
, and attacking Pelagius' doctrine on the basis of Augustine.
Demetrias built a church devoted to Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
along the Via Latina
Via Latina
The Via Latina was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers.It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mons Algidus; it was important in the early military history of Rome...
(41°51′41.81"N 12°32′15.17"E ), at three miles from Rome, on one of her properties. She died during the pontificate of Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I was pope from September 29, 440 to his death.He was an Italian aristocrat, and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452, persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy...
.