Abella
14th-century physician of Salerno
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Abella is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece, The Dinner Party. Abella is represented as one of the nine hundred and ninety-nine names included in the Heritage Floor, a supporting piece to The Dinner Party intended to represent numerous women who struggled into prominence, only to have their names erased and/or forgotten. She is linked to the grouping around "Trotula", who is also counted among the "Ladies of Salerno".
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Mulieres Salernitanae
The Salerno School of Medicine was the first university to allow women to enter. This resulted in a group of women known as Mulieres Salernitanae, meaning women of Salerno or Salernitan wives. These women were known for their great learning. This group of women consisted of Abella, Trota of Salerno, Mercuriade, Rebecca de Guarna, Maria Incarnata, and Constance Calenda. The women of Salerno not only practiced medicine, but also taught medicine at the Salerno School of Medicine and wrote texts. This group of women worked against the common view and roles of women at the time, and are considered a pride of medieval Salerno and a symbol of beneficence.
Family of Castellomata
The family of Castellomata was an influential family in Salerno, to which Abella is believed to have belonged. The heavy influence of the family helped confirm the vital ties between the papal court and the Salerno School of Medicine. A significant member of this family was Giovanni of Castellomata, who held the title of medicus papae, or “doctor of the pope” to Pope Innocent III. The relationship between Abella and Giovanni of Castellomata is unclear.