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Egeria

c. 350 – c. 400

Portrait of Egeria
First page of Egaria’s travels as found in the <em>Codex Aretinus 405.</em> Her work was written sometime in the late 4th century. Manuscript found in the municipal library of Arezzo, Italy.

The first Hispanic woman to leave a written record of her life and point of view, Egeria made a detailed personal account of her pilgrimage to various Christian holy sites during the late 4th century.

by Erik Alder

Biography

All of the biographical information we have about Egeria derives from her own written account. She was Galician and apparently wealthy enough to have been able to undertake such a distant journey. She spent three years in Jerusalem visiting numerous sites sacred to Christianity. She wrote her account to strengthen the group of sisters she knew in her homeland.