Meeting a Dear Friend While Traveling Abroad, Egeria, It. Per. 1.23.2-3

 

Name:  Egeria Date:  4th century CE Region:  [modern Spain] Citation:   Journey Abroad 1.23.2-3

Egeria was a Christian woman from Spain who lived during the 4th century CE. The narrative of her pilgrimage is an important document, as it shows rare insight into the lives of women during that time period. She was not only able to travel to visit holy sites in Constantinople, Jerusalem, and other holy places, she was alsoliterate and able to write of her experiences to the women in her social circle, who were presumably also literate.  

From there we traveled to the [shrine of] St. Thecla, located about a mile and a half outside of the city on a small hill. I wanted to go there and spend some time there as I’d planned. There really isn’t anything there at the holy church except the living quarters of countless monks and nuns.

While I was there I found one of my dearest friends, a holy deaconess named Marthana, whose life everybody in the east could testify about. I had gotten to know her in Jerusalem, where she had visited for the sake of prayer; now, however, she was in charge of the nuns there. When she saw me, I can’t tell who was more full of joy, her or me!  

Et quoniam inde ad sanctam Theclam, qui locus est ultra civitatem in colle sed plano, habebat de civitate forsitan mille quingentos passus, malui ergo perexire illuc, ut stativa, quam factura eram, ibi facerem. Ibi autem ad sanctam ecclesiam nihil aliud est nisi monasteria sine numero virorum ac mulierum.

Nam inveni ibi aliquam amicissimam mihi, et cui omnes in oriente testimonium ferebant vitae ipsius, sancta diaconissa nomine Marthana, quam ego apud Jerusolimam noveram, ubi illa gratia orationis ascenderat; haec autem monasteria apotactitum seu virginum regebat. Quae me cum vidisset, quod gaudium illius vel meum esse potuerit, nunquid vel scribere possum?

Egeria [4th century CE, modern Spain] was a Christian woman who wrote a narrative of her pilgrimage to Constantinople, Jerusalem, and other places in the Holy Land. Her life provides insight into the lives of women during the 4th century CE, as she not only had the privilege of being able to travel extensively, but also was literate and able to share her story in writing with other literate women in her social circle.