Symeon the Stylite the Elder
- Symeon the Stylite the Elder
The first pillar saint (stylite [q.v.]). He was born (ca. 389) the son of a shepherd on the borders of Syria and Cilicia (qq.v.). He tried and rejected other forms of eremitical (q.v.) practice before stepping onto a low pillar about three meters high. On this pillar in the Syrian desert near Antioch (q.v.) he stood for some 30 years without shelter from the elements. As the height of the pillar increased to about 16 meters, so did his fame. He was hardly inactive. One visitor counted 1,244 prostrations for prayer in a single day, and he was besieged by petitioners who needed advice, cures, and legal judgments. By the time he died in 459 he was internationally famous. A monastery (Qalat Seman) of exquisite architecture sprang up to deal with the many pilgrims who came to see his pillar. His successors included the sixth-century ascetics (q.v.) Symeon the Stylite the Younger, whose pillar was located southwest of Antioch (q.v.) at a place called Wondrous Mountain, and also Daniel the Stylite (q.v.).
Historical Dictionary of Byzantium .
John H. Rosser .
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Symeon the Stylite the Younger — See Stylite; Symeon the Stylite the Elder … Historical dictionary of Byzantium
Stylite — Monk who lived atop a pillar (stylos). Symeon the Stylite the Elder (q.v.) was the first to practice this type of asceticism (q.v.). From a platform secured to the top of a high (ca. 16 meters) pillar he preached and responded to the queries… … Historical dictionary of Byzantium
Siméon le Stylite — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Saint Siméon. Représentation du saint, assis sur sa colonne[1] … Wikipédia en Français
Simeon Stylites — Infobox Saint name=Saint Simeon Stylites birth date=c. 390 death date=2 September 459 feast day=1 September (Eastern Orthodox Church) 29 Pashons (Coptic Orthodox Church) 5 January (Western Christianity) venerated in=Oriental Orthodox Church… … Wikipedia
Monasticism — Monasticism began in Egypt (q.v.) with the asceticism (q.v.) of third century eremites, also called anchorites (qq.v.), as well as monks (from monachos, a man who has forsaken society to devote himself to God), who lived in cells (q.v.) in the … Historical dictionary of Byzantium
Qalat Seman — See Symeon the Stylite the Elder … Historical dictionary of Byzantium
