Venerable Saint Isidora

Saint Isidora, also known as Saint Isidore and Isidora of Tabenna, was a Christian nun and saint of the 4th century AD. She is considered among the earliest fools for Christ. While very little is known of Isidora's life, she is remembered for her exemplification of the writing of St. Paul that “Whosoever of you believes that he is wise by the measure of this world, may he become a fool, so as to become truly wise.” The story of Isidora effectively highlights the Christian ideal that recognition or glory from man is second to one's actions being seen by God, even if that means one's actions or even one's self remains unknown or misunderstood. This ideal was extremely important to the early Desert Fathers and Mothers who recorded Isidora's story. There are few biographical details concerning the life of Saint Isidora. Most of what is known can be found in the Lausiac History (Historia Lausiaca) written in 419–420 by Palladius of Galatia, at the request of Lausus, chamberlain at the court of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II. While other texts from this time mention the story of St. Isidora, the Lausiac History is the most commonly referenced text about the saint's life. Isidora's birthdate is unknown, as is her age at the time she joined the Tabenna Monastery in Egypt. Tabenna, or Tabennesi, was the original monastery established by St. Pachomius sometime after 325 AD. Prior to that time, the tradition was for monastics to live alone as hermits or anchorites, each devoted to a Monastic rule they had individually received from God. St. Pachomius believed that groups of monastics living together would be able to better support each other in their devotion to Monastic rules and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and his elder Palaemon, traveled to Tabennesi to establish his monastery. Subsequently, Pachomius's sister Maria, with his help, established a woman's monastery near her brother's, creating the first full community for women in Egypt.