Who were Paula and Eustochium in St. Jerome’s circle at Rome?

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José de Ribera: Saint Jerome — St. Jerome *Saint Jerome*, oil on canvas by José de Ribera (Jusepe de Ribera, Lo Spagnoletto), c. 1638–40; in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

In Rome, Paula and her daughter Eustochium were members of an ascetic circle of noble women who were mentored by St. Jerome between 382 and 385 CE.1

Jerome served as their spiritual master, teaching them the Hebrew text of the Psalms and providing guidance on biblical interpretation and spirituality through both oral instruction and correspondence. Following the death of Pope Damasus I and the subsequent backlash against Jerome’s advocacy for the ascetic life, Paula and Eustochium accompanied him when he left Rome for the Holy Land in 385 CE.1

They later settled in Bethlehem, where Paula oversaw the establishment of three cloisters for women and a hostel for pilgrims, while also supporting the construction of a monastery for men directed by Jerome.1