Her grandmother was Melania the Elder who came from the illustrious patrician family of Antonii. After the death of her husband Valerius Maximus and the two of her three children Melania the Elder was one of the first Roman matrons to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she met Paula of Bethlehem and Jerome, whose friendship she enjoyed. Melania's son, Valerius Publicola, did not accompany his mother who stayed as a nun in Palestine, but was brought up in Rome and became a senator. His wife Albina gave birth to a daughter whom we know as Melania the Younger.
Her full name was Antonia Melania; she was born to the immensely rich Roman family of Valerii. Their palace was huge; the estate she inherited comprised the territory of several modern countries. Despite all this, the girl felt strong inclination towards ascetic life. Nevertheless, at the age of 13 she was married against her will to her cousin, Valerius Pinianus, who was 17 years old. Melania implored her husband to live together in celibacy, but the young man convinced her that they should have two sons first. Within seven years of their married life they had a girl and a boy, but the children died young. As a result, both Melania and her husband devoted themselves to asceticism and deeds of charity.
This family organized one of the most large-scale philanthropic programs in history: they aided thousands of poor and sick, pilgrims and captives in many lands; they gave donations to many churches and monasteries in Europe, Palestine, Egypt and Syria, sometimes buying entire islands for that. Melania and Pinianus not only spent their income on charity; they were ready to give away the very substance of their riches. During two years they freed more than eight thousand slaves, but the most of them refused to be freed and went to Pinianus' brother.
It was obvious that Melania intended to give away everything she had. Her relatives, especially her mother Albina, a widowed daughter of a heathen priest, opposed to this "mad" plan. They appealed to the emperor so that he should forbid the noble patrician girl doing so, but Honorius sided with Melania. Finally, Albina accepted her daughter's ideals and lifestyle. Pinianus, Melania and Albina left Rome to live in their country estate which was now turned into a great center of religious life and charity. Thousands of people came there looking for aid and comfort.
In 408 Visigoths ransacked Rome and the charitable family moved to Messina, Sicily. Their home was too valuable for any buyer and was burnt in 810 during the next, more violent Visigoth invasion. Very soon Sicily was no more secure. Melania, together with her husband and mother, decided to go to Northern Africa. Accompanied by the elderly priest Rufinus and some of their former slaves, they were shipwrecked but finally were able to reach their estate in Tagaste. Their sanctity was soon famous throughout Numidia. Both Augustine and his friend Alypius were close friends of this family. Melania and Pinianus founded monasteries of which they took charge, living there in great austerity.
By 417 all their riches were spent on charity. Now poor, the family made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt, and then visited Jerusalem, where Melania the Elder lived as a nun: she introduced her granddaughter to the circle of virgins in Bethlehem who were guided by Jerome, including Paula, her cousin. Melania the Younger decided to settle in Jerusalem forever.
In 431 Albina died. Melania founded a monastery on the Mount of Olives and commissioned her husband to find novices for this new institution, but a year later Pinianus fell ill and died. Melania spent four years near his tomb and continuously prayed about her deceased mother and husband. She grew famous and attracted multiple disciples who imitated her holy way of life. Her pagan uncle Volusianus wrote to her from Rome and tried to convince her that she should be married to the emperor Valentinian III. When Volusian was sent as ambassador to the court of Theodosius II, she converted him. In 438 she also met empress Eudoxia, wife of Theodosius, during her visit to Jerusalem. It should be mentioned that Melania played a considerable role in the conflict with Nestorianism.
The holy woman spent her last Christmas with Paula in Bethlehem and died five days after the feast of St. Stephen. Before her death Paula cried and Melania consoled her.
Melania the Younger was almost unknown in the West until Cardinal Rampolla has found her biography in Latin in the Escorial at Vatican in 1884, and later another one, in Greek, in the Barberini library. To be sure, this was a precious discovery for all who are interested in Church history.
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