Saint Awtel

Saint Awtel (also known as Mar Awtel, Mar Awtilios, Saint Aoutel, Saint Autel; died 327) was a monk in early Christianity venerated in the Middle East. He is celebrated on 3 November (by Maronites particularly), and on 9 October. A church is dedicated to him in the village of Kfarsghab in North-Lebanon where his feast day is celebrated on 3 June and 27 August. There are several versions of the life of Mar Awtel. This is the version of the Maronite Sinksar along with the versions presented by Youakim Moubarac. Saint Awtel is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Maronites. His place and date of birth vary according to the sources. From an unknown place in modern Turkey for the Maronite Sinksar and born in the 3rd century AD, he is from Lycia for the other sources and he lived during the 6th century AD. His feast day varies also according to the different traditions. But most sources have corroborating deeds: he escaped a forced marriage arranged by his family, spent some time in Byzantium, delivered his fellow passengers during a severe storm, went back to his place of birth after the death of his parents and finally became a monk then a hermit. Mar Awtel was born in mid-3rd century. As a youth he was converted to Christianity and baptised. He pledged his virginity to God but his father wanted him to marry and thereby break his pledge of celibacy. To escape he left for the city Byzantium. While travelling on route in a boat he encountered a severe storm endangering the boat and all on board. He prayed for deliverance and the boat was saved and as a consequence those on board were converted to Christianity and baptized. He remained for 20 years in Byzantium until his father died, whereupon he returned to his home and became a monk. He performed many miracles, one of which was the cure of a pagan man. This cure was the reason for the conversion and baptism of ten thousand pagans.