Galla was the daughter of
Roman patrician Symmachus the Younger, who was appointed consul in 485. Galla was also the
sister-in-law of
Boethius. Her father, Quintus Aurelius Memmius Symmachus, was condemned to death, unjustly, by
Theodoric in 525. Galla had been married at a relatively young age, but was soon widowed, just over a year after her marriage. The Hospice of St. Galla, an overnight shelter for paupers, was established next door by
Pope Celestine III. When the icon was transferred to the newly built
Santa Maria in Campitelli, Santa Maria in Portico began to be called Santa Galla Antiqua in honor of its foundress. ==Legacy==