Library

350–423 · Early Church

Saint Abraham (Cyrrhus, Syria, c. 350–Constantinople, 422) (also known as Abraames, Abraham of Charres and Abraham the Apostle of Lebanon was a Syrian hermit and bishop of Harran.

350–435 · Early Church

Abba Agathon was an Egyptian Christian monk and saint who lived around the 4th century in Scetis, Lower Egypt, and was known for his meekness and discernment.

400–412 · Early Church

Saint Alexius of Rome or Alexius of Edessa (Greek: Ἀλέξιος, Alexios), also Alexis, was a fourth-century Greek monk who lived in anonymity and is known for his dedication to Christ. Two versions of his life exist, one in Syriac and the other in Greek.

400 · Early Church

Abba Anoub, also known as Anoub of Scetis, Anoub the Signbearer or Anoubius, was an Egyptian Christian Desert Father, ascetic and anchorite who lived during the 4th and 5th centuries in Scetis, Lower Egypt (modern day Wadi El Natrun).

354–449 · Early Church

Arsenius the Deacon (354 – 450), sometimes known as Arsenius of Scetis and Turah, Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Great, was a Roman imperial tutor who became an anchorite in Egypt, one of the most highly regarded of the Desert Fathers, whose teachings were greatly influential…

400–460 · Early Church

Baradates (died circa 460) was a hermit who lived in the Diocese of Cyrrhus in Syria, and whose bishop, Theodoret, called him "the admirable Baradates." Baradates lived in a tiny hut, too small for him to stand upright, and he wore a leather garment that exposed only his mouth a…

410–490 · Early Church

Daniel the Stylite (Greek: Δανιὴλ ὁ στυλίτης, c. 409 – 493) is a saint and stylite of the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches. He is commemorated on 11 December according to the liturgical calendars of these churches.

306–373 · Early Church

Ephrem the Syrian , also known as Ephraem the Deacon, Ephrem of Edessa or Aprem of Nisibis, (Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ — Mâr Aphrêm Sûryâyâ) was a prominent Syriac-Aramean Christian theologian and writer who is revered as one of the most notable hymnographers of Eastern Christiani…

415–470 · Early Church

Euphrosyne of Alexandria (Greek: Ἁγία Εὐφροσύνη tr. "good cheer", 410–470), also called Euphrosynē, was a saint who disguised herself as a male to enter a monastery and live, for 38 years, as an ascetic.

377–473 · Early Church

Euthymius the Great (377 – 20 January 473) was an abbot in Palestine. He is venerated in both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Euthymius' vita was written by Cyril of Skythopolis, who describes him as the founder of several monasteries in the Judaean desert, while r…

400–383 · Early Church

Saint Isaac the Confessor, also Isaacius or Isaakios (Ancient Greek: Ἰσαάκιος or Ἰσάκιος; died May 30, 383 AD), founder of the Dalmatian Monastery in Constantinople, was a Christian monk who is honored as a saint and confessor.

492 · Early Church

Isaiah the Solitary (? – 11 August 491), also known as Isaiah of Gaza, Isaias the Solitary, Abba Isaiah, or possibly also Isaiah of Scetis, was a Christian ascetic and monastic writer known from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and various Palestinian Miaphysite sources.

305–394 · Early Church

Saint John of Egypt, (c. 305 – 394), also known as John the Hermit, John the Anchorite, or John of Lycopolis, was one of the hermits and grazers of the Nitrian Desert. He began as a carpenter but at the age of twenty-five began to live a life of solitude.

339–405 · Early Church

John the Dwarf (Greek: Ἰωάννης Κολοβός; Arabic: يوحنا القزم Yuḥanna al-Qazim; c. 339 – c. 405), also called John Colobus, John Kolobos or Abba John the Dwarf, was a Coptic Desert Father of the early Christian church.

350 · Early Church

Limnaeus, Limnaios, Limnaea, Limnaee, Limnetes, or Limnagenes, meaning in Greek "inhabiting or born in a lake or marsh". It is an ancient Greek surname of several divinities who were believed either to have sprung from a lake or had their temples near a lake.

298–395 · Early Church

Saint Macarius of Alexandria (Greek: Μακάριος; died 395) was a monk in the Nitrian Desert. He was a slightly younger contemporary of Macarius of Egypt, and is thus also known as Macarius the Younger. Macarius was born about the year 300 in Alexandria.

301–388 · Early Church

Marcian was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a domesticus (personal assistant) who served under the commanders Ardabur and his son Aspar for fifteen years.

400–430 · Early Church

Saint Nilus the Elder of Sinai (Greek: Νείλος; also known as Neilos, Nilus of Sinai, Nilus of Ancyra, Nil Postnik ("the Faster"); born 4th century; died 12 November 430 or 451) was one of the many disciples and stalwart defenders of St. John Chrysostom.

320–400 · Early Church

Onuphrius (also Onoufrios; Greek: Ὀνούφριος, romanized: Onouphrios) lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries.

301–301 · Early Church

Orsisius (in Greek Arsisios, local name Oresiesis-Heru-sa Ast) was an Egyptian monk and author of the fourth century. His memorial is June 15. Orsisius was a disciple of Pachomius on the Island Tabenna in the Nile.

390 · Early Church

Palladius of Antioch (died 390), also known as Saint Palladius the Desert Dweller and Palladius the Hermit, was an Early Christian monk in the Roman Empire. Palladius was a hermit in the desert near Antioch (modern Turkey). He was a friend of Saint Simeon.

225–339 · Early Church

Saint Paul the Simple of Egypt (d. ad. 339) was a hermit and disciple of St. Anthony the Great. St. John, the Abbot of Sinai wrote "Paul the Simple was a clear example for us, for he was the rule and type of blessed simplicity." Though contemporaries, he is not to be confused wit…

320–417 · Early Church

Pshoi, Paisius the Great, as he has been known in Europe since the 5th century AD, Bishoy, Bishūy, Bishāy or Bishiyyah, as his name is pronounced in Arabic , known in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria as the Star of the Desert and the Beloved of our Good Savior, was a Copt…

340–450 · Early Church

Abba Poemen the Great (Greek: Ὁ Ἅγιος Ποιμήν; ποιμήν means "shepherd") (c. 340–450) was a Christian monk and early Desert Father who is the most quoted Abba (Father) in the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers).

380 · Early Church

Saint Publius (Maltese: San Publiju; Ancient Greek: Πούπλιος), also known as Publius of Malta or Publius of Athens, was an early Christian bishop and saint. He is considered the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens.

201–350 · Early Church

Chariton the Confessor (Greek: Χαρίτων; mid-3rd century, Iconium, Asia Minor – c. 350, Judaean desert) was an early Christian monk. He is venerated as a saint by both the Western and Eastern Churches. His remembrance day is September 28.

301–365 · Early Church

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.

400–457 · Early Church

Pelagia (Ancient Greek: Πελαγία, d. 457), distinguished as Pelagia of Antioch, Pelagia the Penitent, and Pelagia the Harlot, was a Christian saint and hermit in the 4th or 5th century.

450–450 · Early Church

Xenia the Righteous of Rome (Greek: Ξένια της Ρώμης) was a saint of the 5th century, honored by some Christian Churches, including Orthodox and Catholic. Xenia, originally born Eusebia, was the only daughter of a wealthy Senator in Rome.

356 · Early Church

Serapion the Sindonite was a Christian monk from Egypt who is considered a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is on 7 April in the Orthodox Church. He is inscribed on the Roman Martyrology for 21 March.

400–440 · Early Church

Saints Thalassius and Limneus (5th century) were Syrian hermits. Their feast day is 22 February. The monks of St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate wrote in their Book of Saints (1921): The hagiographer Alban Butler (1710–1773) wrote in his Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Pri…

500–490 · Early Church

Theodora of Alexandria (Greek: Θεοδώρα Άλεξανδρείας) was a saint and martyr who lived during the 5th century in Alexandria, during the reign of Emperor Zeno.

314–368 · Early Church

Theodorus of Tabennese (c. 314 – 368), also known as Abba Theodorus and Theodore the Sanctified, was the spiritual successor to Pachomius and played a crucial role in preventing the first Christian cenobitic monastic federation from collapsing after the death of its founder.

400–400 · Early Church

Venerable John the Hermit began his ascetic life at a young age according to records. He was born in the fourth century in Armenia to Juliana, a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian mother. John was the spiritual son of St. Pharmutius who discipled him for a time.