What is Desert Mothers?
[[File:Melania_the_Younger,_nun_of_Rome_(Menologion_of_Basil_II).jpg|right|thumb|[[Melania the Younger]], from the [[Menologion of Basil II]]]] [[File:Righteous_Syncletica_of_Alexandria_(Menologion_of_Basil_II).jpg|right|thumb|[[Syncletica of Alexandria]] from the [[Menologion of Basil II]]]] '''Desert Mothers''' is a term feminist theologians use for women who lived in the desert of [[Egypt]], [[Syria]] and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], in the 4th and 5th century. Usually they lived in [[monasteries]]. The term is used to refer to the [[Desert Fathers]], [[Monk|monks]] who went to live an [[Asceticism|ascetic lifestyle]] in the desert, about a century earlier. Notable examples were [[Syncletica of Alexandria]], [[Theodora of Alexandria]], [[Sarah of the Desert]], [[Melania the Elder]], [[Melania the Younger]], [[Olympias the Deaconess]], and [[Eustochium]]. [[Category:Ancient Christianity]]