A stylite (Ancient Greek: στυλίτης (stylitēs) "pillar dweller", derived from στῦλος (stȳlos) "pillar" and Classical Syriac: ܐܣܛܘܢܝܐ (astˁonāyā)) or pillar-saint is a type of Christian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying.

Several other stylites later followed his model (the Greek word style means "pillar"). Simeon is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Roman Catholic Church.

Saint Simeon Stylites, Syrian Christian hermit who was the first known stylite, or pillar hermit. He was called Simeon the Elder to distinguish him from several other stylites also named Simeon. Learn about his ascetic life and the stylite monastic practice.

Simeon Stylites the Younger, also known as Simeon of the Admirable Mountain (Greek: Συμεὼν ὁ νεώτερος ὁ στυλίτης, Arabic: مار سمعان العمودي الأصغر mār semʻān l-ʻamūdī l-asghar; 521 – 596/597), is a saint in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Sep 1, 2000 · He went up a pillar six to eight feet high, and settled upon it in a little cell, devoting himself to intense prayer and fasting. Reports of Saint Simeon reached the highest church hierarchy and the imperial court.

Stylites were solitaries who, taking up their abode upon the tops of a pillar (), chose to spend their days amid the restraints thus entailed and in the exercise of other forms of asceticism. This practice may be regarded as the climax of a tendency which became very pronounced in Eastern lands in the latter part of the fourth century.

Oct 22, 2020 · For nearly two centuries — until the Arab conquests around A.D. 640 — Simeon’s pillar remained one of the major pilgrimage sites in eastern Christianity. His story provides a fascinating example of how fine the line can be between religious devotion and religious excess.

Stylite, a Christian ascetic who lived standing on top of a column or pillar. Stylites were permanently exposed to the elements and stood or sat day and night in their restricted areas, dependent on their disciples for sustenance. Learn about the history of this ascetic practice.

Simeon Stylites III, another pillar hermit, who also bore the name Simeon, is honored by both the Greeks and the Copts. He is hence believed to have lived in the fifth century before the breach which occurred between these Churches. But it must be confessed that very little certain is …

Feb 14, 2024 · One of Stylites, Byzantine Era’s Most Extreme Hermit was St. Simeon Stylites. He was the first Christian saint to spend years atop a pillar as a form of discipline that enabled him to be closer to God.