Astylite (Ancient Greek:στυλίτης (stylitēs) "pillar dweller", derived fromστῦλος (stȳlos) "pillar" andClassical Syriac:ܐܣܛܘܢܝܐ (astˁonāyā)) orpillar-saint is a type ofChristian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying. Stylites believe that themortification of their bodies would help ensure thesalvation of their souls. Stylites were common in the early days of theByzantine Empire. The first known stylite wasSimeon Stylites the Elder who climbed a pillar inSyria in 423 CE and remained there until his death 36 years later.
Palladius of Galatia tells ofElpidius, ahermit fromCappadocia who dwelt in a mountaintop cave outside ofJericho for 25 years until his death, eating only on Saturdays and Sundays and standing up worshiping throughout the night.[1]St. Gregory of Nazianzus speaks of a solitary who stood upright for many years together, absorbed incontemplation, without ever lying down.Theodoret claimed that he had seen ahermit who had passed ten years in a tub suspended in midair from poles.[2]: 136–138
In 423, Simeon Stylites the Elder took up his abode on the top of a pillar. Critics have recalled a passage inLucian (De Syria Dea, chapters 28 and 29) which speaks of a high column atHierapolis Bambyce to the top of which a man ascended twice a year and spent a week in converse with the gods, but according toHerbert Thurston writing in theCatholic Encyclopedia, scholars think it unlikely that Simeon had derived any suggestion from thispagan custom, which had died out before his time.[3]
In any case, Simeon had a continuous series of imitators, particularly in Syria andPalestine.Daniel the Stylite may have been the first of these, for he had been a disciple of Simeon and began his rigorous way of life shortly after his master died. Daniel was a Syrian by birth but he established himself nearConstantinople, where he was visited by both the EmperorLeo II and the EmperorZeno.Simeon the Younger, like his namesake, lived nearAntioch; he died in 596 and had for a contemporary a hardly less famous Stylite,Saint Alypius, whose pillar had been erected nearHadrianopolis in Paphlagonia. In the legend, Alypius, after standing upright for 53 years, found his feet no longer able to support him, but instead of descending from his pillar lay down on his side and spent the remaining fourteen years of his life in that position.[3]Roger Collins, in hisEarly Medieval Europe, tells that, in some cases, two or more pillar saints of differing theological viewpoints could find themselves within calling distance of each other and would argue with one another from their columns.[4]
Daniel the Stylite (c. 409–493) lived on his pillar for 33 years after being blessed by and receiving the cowl of St.Simeon the Stylite.
There were many others besides these who were not so famous, and even female stylites are known to have existed. One or two isolated attempts seem to have been made to introduce this form of asceticism into the West, but it met with little favour.Wulflaich was aLombard deacon who, according toGregory of Tours, chose to live as a stylite in thediocese of Trier during the episcopate ofMagneric (before 587) and the reign of KingChildebert II (576–596).[5]
In the East, cases were found as late as the 12th century; in theRussian Orthodox Church, the practice continued until 1461 and among theRuthenians even later. For the majority of the pillar hermits, the extreme austerity of the lives of the Simeons and of Alypius was somewhat mitigated. Upon the summit of some of the columns, a tiny hut was erected as a shelter against sun and rain, and other hermits of the same class among theMiaphysites lived inside a hollow pillar rather than upon it. Nonetheless, the life was one of extraordinary endurance and privation. Among theSyriac Orthodox Church, the tradition of stylitism survived into the eight or ninth century as evidenced by theMor Loʿozor Monastery, where the monks took turns to live as recluses on the monastery's column.[6]
In recent centuries, this form of monastic asceticism has become virtually extinct. However, in modern-dayGeorgia, Maxime Qavtaradze, a monk of theGeorgian Orthodox Church, has lived on top ofKatskhi Pillar for 20 years, coming down only twice a week. This pillar is a natural rock formation jutting upward from the ground to a height of approximately one hundred and forty feet. Evidence of use by stylites as late as the 15th century has been found on the top of the rock.[7] With the aid of local villagers and theNational Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, Qavtaradze restored the 1200-year-old monastic chapel at the top of the rock. A film documentary on the project was completed in 2013.[8]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Stylites (Pillar Saints)".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
