Sylvia of Aquitaine

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Sylvia of Aquitaine was a fourth century pilgrim from Aquitaine. She was the sister of Rufinus, the chief minister of the Byzantine Empire under Theodosius and Arcadius. [1] Palladius' Lausiac History tells she journeyed in the age of 60, and prided in her ascetic habits. [2]

In the late 19th century she was thought the author of a detailed pilgrimage account, which is now attributed to Egeria. [3]

Her feast day is celebrated on November 5 and she is the patroness saint of pregnant women. She is not to be confused with Silvia, the mother of Pope Gregory the Great .

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References

  1. Bardenhewer, Otto (1908). Patrology; the lives and works of the fathers of the church. trans. Thomas Joseph Shahan. B. Herder. p.  424.
  2. Palladius of Galatia (1918). The Lausiac History Of Palladius. W. K. Lowther Clarke. The Macmillan Company. Retrieved 2015-08-16. html
  3. M.L. McClure; C. L. Feltoe (1919). "Introduction". The Pilgrimage of Etheria. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.