On this day, June 8 according to the Julian Calendar (June 21 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Venerable Melania the Elder, who reposed in 410 AD.
The Venerable Melania the Elder was the grandmother of Saint Melania the Younger (commemorated December 31). She was a Roman noblewoman of great wealth and even greater piety, who renounced the comforts of her aristocratic life to embrace the ascetic life.
Melania the Elder traveled to the Holy Land, where she founded a monastery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. She gathered around her a community of devout women and supported countless monks and ascetics throughout the East with her vast resources. She was known for her extraordinary generosity and her deep love for the poor and the suffering.
She was a friend and supporter of many great theologians and Church Fathers of her era, including Rufinus of Aquileia. Melania was a defender of Orthodox theology and used her influence and wealth to support the Church in times of difficulty.
She reposed in Jerusalem around 410 AD, having spent the latter part of her life in holy asceticism and service to God and neighbor.
May the intercessions of the Venerable Melania the Elder be with us all.