Melania the Younger is a Christian saint, Desert Mother, and ascetic who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder.

Desert Mothers is a term analogous to Desert Fathers. The Desert Mothers were known as the ammas or female Christian ascetics living in the desert of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the 4th and 5th cen