347-404. Roman matron and friend of Jerome; descended from the Gracchi and Scipio. The mother of five children, when aged thirty-three she dedicated herself to the ascetic life. In 385, with her daughter Eustochium, she followed Jerome* to Palestine, despite the pleas of her other children. After visiting the holy places and hermits in the Egyptian deserts, they settled at Bethlehem, where Paula founded three nunneries and a monastery. She gave away her remaining wealth and died in poverty.