The first stylite known in Rus'. Columnism and pillar standing. Stolpnichestvo: meaning, meaning

28.03.2024 Glucometers

Stylite

Open Orthodox encyclopedia "TREE".

Stylite (Greek: στυλίτης, Latin: stylita), holy monks who have chosen for themselves a special feat - standing on a pillar as a way of withdrawing from the world and concentrating on constant prayer.

Although there is a vague mention of the hermit who chose this feat for himself in the words of Ephraim the Syrian (+ 373), the era of the stylites begins only in the 5th century, when Saint Simeon the Stylite turns to stylite life. At first he labored as a monk, then as a hermit in northern Syria, and in 423 he ascended the pillar, where he spent time in unceasing prayer. The pillar was initially low, but was then built up until it reached approximately 20 meters in height. Saint Simeon enjoyed exceptional authority in the Christian world; crowds of believers flocked to him for advice and guidance, emperors wrote letters, and his veneration as a saint spread during his lifetime, especially in the Syrian communities. In the 5th - 10th centuries, the example of Saint Simeon had many followers, including the Monks Daniel (5th century), John and Simeon the Stylite the Younger (6th century), Alypius (7th century) and others. Icons depicting stylites, which pilgrims brought with them when returning after visiting these ascetics (who, apparently, could bless these images), played a significant role in the development of icon veneration.

The feat of pillar-bearing was also known in Rus'; for example, the monks Nikita the Stylite of Pereyaslavl (+ 1186) and Savva of Vishera (+ 1461) were saved on a pillar.

The only pillar of the Western Church was the Monk Wulfilaich (+ c. 594), who performed his feat in a harsh climan on the peaks of the Ardennes.

Used materials

Zhivov, V.M., Holiness. Brief dictionary of hagiographic terms:

http://www.wco.ru/biblio/books/zhivov1/Main.htm

Pillar - tower, stone or other elevation

TREE - open Orthodox encyclopedia: http://drevo.pravbeseda.ru

About the project | Timeline | Calendar | Client

Orthodox encyclopedia Tree. 2012

Write a review about the article "Stylite"

Notes

Faces of holiness in Orthodoxy

Excerpt characterizing the Stylite

- Sonya, you can’t doubt him, you can’t, you can’t, do you understand? – she shouted.
– Does he love you?
- Does he love you? – Natasha repeated with a smile of regret about her friend’s lack of understanding. – You read the letter, did you see it?
- But what if he is an ignoble person?
– Is he!... an ignoble person? If only you knew! - Natasha said.
“If he is a noble man, then he must either declare his intention or stop seeing you; and if you don’t want to do this, then I will do it, I will write to him, I will tell dad,” Sonya said decisively.
- Yes, I can’t live without him! - Natasha screamed.
- Natasha, I don’t understand you. And what are you saying! Remember your father, Nicolas.
“I don’t need anyone, I don’t love anyone but him.” How dare you say that he is ignoble? Don't you know that I love him? – Natasha shouted. “Sonya, go away, I don’t want to quarrel with you, go away, for God’s sake go away: you see how I’m suffering,” Natasha shouted angrily in a restrained, irritated and desperate voice. Sonya burst into tears and ran out of the room.
Natasha went to the table and, without thinking for a minute, wrote that answer to Princess Marya, which she could not write the whole morning. In this letter, she briefly wrote to Princess Marya that all their misunderstandings were over, that, taking advantage of the generosity of Prince Andrei, who, when leaving, gave her freedom, she asks her to forget everything and forgive her if she is guilty before her, but that she cannot be his wife . It all seemed so easy, simple and clear to her at that moment.

On Friday the Rostovs were supposed to go to the village, and on Wednesday the count went with the buyer to his village near Moscow.
On the day of the count's departure, Sonya and Natasha were invited to a big dinner with the Karagins, and Marya Dmitrievna took them. At this dinner, Natasha again met with Anatole, and Sonya noticed that Natasha was saying something to him, wanting not to be heard, and throughout the dinner she was even more excited than before. When they returned home, Natasha was the first to begin with Sonya the explanation that her friend was waiting for.
“You, Sonya, said all sorts of stupid things about him,” Natasha began in a meek voice, the voice that children use when they want to be praised. - We explained it to him today.
- Well, what, what? Well, what did he say? Natasha, how glad I am that you are not angry with me. Tell me everything, the whole truth. What did he say?
Natasha thought about it.
- Oh Sonya, if only you knew him like I do! He said... He asked me about how I promised Bolkonsky. He was glad that it was up to me to refuse him.
Sonya sighed sadly.
“But you didn’t refuse Bolkonsky,” she said.
- Or maybe I refused! Maybe it's all over with Bolkonsky. Why do you think so badly of me?
- I don’t think anything, I just don’t understand it...
- Wait, Sonya, you will understand everything. You will see what kind of person he is. Don't think bad things about me or him.
– I don’t think anything bad about anyone: I love everyone and feel sorry for everyone. But what should I do?
Sonya did not give in to the gentle tone with which Natasha addressed her. The softer and more searching the expression on Natasha’s face was, the more serious and stern Sonya’s face was.
“Natasha,” she said, “you asked me not to talk to you, I didn’t, now you started it yourself.” Natasha, I don't believe him. Why this secret?
- Again, again! – Natasha interrupted.
– Natasha, I’m afraid for you.
- What to be afraid of?
“I’m afraid that you will destroy yourself,” Sonya said decisively, herself frightened by what she said.
Natasha's face again expressed anger.
“And I will destroy, I will destroy, I will destroy myself as quickly as possible.” None of your business. It will feel bad not for you, but for me. Leave me, leave me. I hate you.
- Natasha! – Sonya cried out in fear.
- I hate it, I hate it! And you are my enemy forever!
Natasha ran out of the room.
Natasha no longer spoke to Sonya and avoided her. With the same expression of excited surprise and criminality, she walked around the rooms, taking up first this or that activity and immediately abandoning them.

On December 24, the Orthodox Church remembers Saints Daniel the Stylite and Luke the Stylite. What is the true meaning of the feat of pillarism, which even during the life of the saints aroused surprise among some, and censure among others?

Every person, in order to feel more or less protected and settled in this life, needs his own shelter, or, as they say, a roof over his head. True, everyone has their own ideas about what this very roof should be like, but in any case, the desire to have your own comfortable home has always been considered a completely natural human need. Therefore, anyone who dared to abandon normal living conditions and chose for himself a very harsh and rather strange, from the point of view of society, way of existence, caused surprise among those around him at best, and at worst, they hastened to classify such a selfless daredevil as a madman. Today it is difficult for us to imagine that someone would suddenly begin to arrange a place to live, say, on... a pillar, a tree or in a well (there were such ascetics), voluntarily exposing themselves to all sorts of inconveniences, hardships and trials, courageously enduring cold, heat, rain, wind.

Any phenomenon that seems to us to be a deviation from the norm, which we are unable to comprehend, is usually called anomalous or phenomenal. There are many such phenomenal manifestations in Christianity. One of them is asceticism in its various forms. Some forms of asceticism, in former times, and even more so in the present, are sometimes perceived even by Christians as certain extremes. What can we say about non-believers! However, all this is quite natural. There are people who spend their entire lives at the foot of the mountains, but it never occurs to them to storm the top. And there are those who are imbued with the desire to reach the highest mountain point and, like mountain climbers, day after day, overcoming obstacles, they stubbornly go towards achieving their goal. The thirst for the proximity of heaven makes them do incredible things. Asceticism is a constant and persistent movement towards heaven, towards God. And from this point of view, every Christian should be an ascetic to one degree or another. However, true ascetic asceticism cannot be the lot of many, because it requires enormous faith and love for God, self-denial, incredible spiritual, mental and physical efforts, and a certain inner attitude.

Among the various types of Christian asceticism, the most unusual is pillarism, which is very often put on a par with foolishness, because it also resembles “foolishness for Christ’s sake,” about which the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:10). Styliteism is a rather rare and mysterious phenomenon in the history of the Christian Church, and the attitude of researchers (especially representatives of the Western school) towards it is very ambiguous. Among the ascetics glorified by the Church who labored on the pillars, only about two dozen names are known. Although some authors who have studied this phenomenon state that in the 6th century the number of stylites in the Byzantine Empire was so great that state legislation gave them the status of a special class. Who belonged to this class? Initially, stylites included all hermits who settled on high, tight stone cliffs that had a natural origin and were shaped like pillars. In order to be in a state of vigilance and constant wakefulness during the feat of unceasing prayer, some of the ascetics, neglecting the danger of falling down, specially chose very narrow cliffs. When the hermit was unable to find a suitable cliff, he built himself a pillar in its likeness.

Styliteism is an exclusively Eastern phenomenon; it has not taken root in the West at all. There they did not approve of him and treated him with suspicion. In any case, of the Western stylites, only one such hermit is known, who labored in the Ardennes Mountains - this is Wulfilai of Trier. This type of asceticism is quite ancient; it arose, as historiographers and chroniclers believe, immediately after the end of the era of persecution of Christianity and martyrdom as its unique continuation. Knowing what physical and mental suffering these desperate lovers of God subjected themselves to, spending their lives on the pillars and performing amazing feats, they can truly be put on a par with the martyrs.

The pillar was perceived by the hermit as a prototype of the cross on which he crucified his flesh, striking its bodily sinful nature. At the same time, the pillar served for each ascetic as a kind of ladder, elevating him to perfection and bringing him closer to God. In addition, standing on a pillar was one of the ways to draw the attention of a society mired in sins and evading the fulfillment of God’s commandments to its moral fall and spiritual degradation. From this place of exaltation, the ascetic, like the Old Testament prophets, was engaged in such an unusual missionary service, first of all, through the way of his life, and then through the word - exhorting those around him, calling them to repentance and faith. The results of such preaching activities were sometimes so effective that entire communities gathered around the stylites and monasteries were created. It is believed that this type of asceticism arose in opposition to the pagan cult of mountains and hills. From the lives of the holy pillars it is known that some of them deliberately settled (like Daniel the Stylite) in an empty pagan temple, others (like the Monk Alypius) - in the place where idol pillars had previously stood. This also had its own special meaning - the destruction of idolatry and its replacement with Christian worship of God.

Some of the stylites from a very early age felt drawn to the ascetic life. Each of them, before taking on such a difficult feat, first underwent obedience and a certain ascetic training, as a rule, either in a monastery under the guidance of a spiritual mentor, or in a retreat, constantly practicing fasting, silence, prayer and contemplation, subjecting themselves to strict deprivation and teaching to resist the desires of the flesh. And only after this, compelled by the special action of God’s Providence and strengthened by grace, did he take the path of such service. The pillars on which the ascetics spent all their time varied in type and height (from 3 to 15 meters and above). Some of them were a pillar-shaped narrow tower with a lattice that resembled a balcony with a canopy on top. But there were such courageous stylites who refused the canopy, enduring the hardships of cold and heat, having only the sky above their heads as their only cover.

The Monk Alypius the Stylite was such a voluntary sufferer for 53 years. The most amazing thing is that with such a harsh and difficult lifestyle, almost all the stylites were long-lived. This fact testifies to the action of the strengthening grace of God in these righteous people. The feats of pillarism continued in the East until the 12th century, and in Rus' until the second half of the 15th century. The last of the famous Russian stylites, Savva Vishersky, died in 1460.

On December 24, the Orthodox Church honors two of the famous pillars - Saints Daniel and Luke. Saint Daniel (410 - 490) was a disciple of the Monk Simeon the Stylite, whom ancient church historians consider one of the founders of this type of ascetic work. He was born in Mesopotamia. In the life of the Monk Daniel the Stylite it is said that his birth occurred in an amazing way. His mother, Martha, was barren for a long time and suffered reproaches from her husband and relatives. One day, a desperate woman prayed with tears all night to God, promising that if a child was born, she would give it as a gift to Him. Soon she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The saint received his name only at the age of five from one abbot, by inspiration from above. At the age of 12, he secretly left home with the intention of entering a monastery and taking monastic vows. However, the abbot, looking at such a young age of Daniel, initially refused to tonsure him. The boy’s parents arrived and managed to persuade the abbot to take monastic vows. Not long after, the monk Daniel, together with the abbot, went on a trip to holy places. During this trip, the future hermit met with the Monk Simeon the Stylite, from whom he received instructions, blessings and predictions about his future feat of stylite life. First, the ascetic secluded himself for 9 years in an empty pagan temple, where he began to fight a horde of demons. Fasting and prayer were his main weapons. And only after passing this severe test, he, by the revelation of God, ascended the pillar. The first pillar for the monk was built by his friend Mark. Very soon people from surrounding villages learned about the ascetic. Immediately there were dissatisfied people, envious people, and slanderers who reviled him and accused this holy sufferer of pride and lust. They tried to destroy the pillar and drive out the hermit. But the humility, meekness, kindness and philanthropy of this righteous man conquered even his enemies, one of whom built him another, higher pillar.

During his lifetime, the saint performed many different miracles. The prayers of the Monk Daniel had such power that God healed those possessed by demons through him. Through the prayers of the saint, an heir was born to the Greek king Leo the Great. The king, rejoicing over the birth of his son and in gratitude for his prayers, erected a third pillar for him. The holy ascetic had the gift of clairvoyance and foresight. He predicted a great fire in Constantinople. The monk lived for a very long time on a pillar without a roof over his head and allowed it to be built, yielding to the king’s requests, only when one day, after a long snowfall and frost, the disciples found the stylite covered in ice. God also revealed to him the hour of his death. Gathering his disciples, he gave them a spiritual testament and asked them to bury with the relics of the three holy youths of Babylon - Ananias, Azariah and Misail, so that the Christians who came to his grave would honor not him, but the relics of the three youths. Thus, this righteous man retained his humility and humiliation before God even after death.

There is not much information about St. Luke, the New Stylite. What is known is that he was a warrior under the Greek king Romanus (919–944) and under Constantine the Porphyrogenitus (912–959). In 917, the Byzantine Empire was attacked by the Bulgarians. During the battle, many soldiers died, but Luke, by the Providence of God, remained alive. After this, he accepted monasticism and was ordained a presbyter. Jealous of high spiritual perfection, he climbed the pillar and began to succeed in more severe feats. Covering his body with iron chains, the monk observed a very strict fast, eating only once a week the prosphora and a few vegetables brought to him. Three years later, the holy hermit went to Mount Olympus, then to Constantinople, where, in order to maintain his vow of silence, he lived with a stone in his mouth. Finally, he settled in the city of Chalcedon and spent 45 years there on the pillar, becoming famous for his righteous life and performed miracles.

The ascetic life of all the pillars is a clear example of the Apostle Paul’s saying that: “...even if our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). The holy stylites showed the world the most amazing examples of the triumph of the spirit over the flesh. Their physical and spiritual nature, purified by feat, ascended to such heavenly heights that even while living on earth they achieved that godlikeness to which every person is called by the Creator.

Valentina Novikova

Ø Kartashev A.V. Essays on the history of the Russian Church. – T.1. – M.: Nauka, 1991. – pp. 12 – 39.

Ø Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Russian Church. – Book I. – M., 1994.

Ø Talberg N. History of the Russian Church. – Part 1. - Reprint. – Publication of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, 1994.

Ø Tolstoy M.V. Stories from the history of the Russian Church. – Publication of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, 1991.

The natural desire in the Orthodox Church, the Eastern Church, is the desire for holiness, for an ascetic life. The best representatives of Orthodox monasticism became inspirations and role models for believers, residents of Ancient Rus'. In the monasteries, people who wanted and sought monasticism found shelter; people capable of occupying the highest hierarchical positions were trained here; zealots of faith and piety were brought up, who, being free from family ties, at the first call of the church were ready to go preach the Word of God to unknown lands and countries, to defend Orthodoxy from heresies and schisms, and in general were ready to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their neighbors. Monasteries were a model for the moral education of the people.

Therefore, naturally, as Metropolitan Hilarion testifies, following the baptism of Rus', “monasteries appeared in our monasteries on the mountains.” Church tradition connects the construction of the first monastery with the name of the first Russian Metropolitan Michael - this is the famous St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv. Church historians also name other famous monasteries founded within Rus' as companions of Metropolitan Michael, as well as princes Saint Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, and others. The last pious ruler, according to contemporaries, loved the monks to excess. It was mentioned above that he created monasteries in Kyiv, in honor of his angel George the Victorious, and a women’s monastery, in honor of St. Irene, the patroness of the prince’s wife. These were actually the first princely monasteries.

In addition to the world-famous Lavra and the monasteries mentioned above, the following monasteries arose in Kyiv:

Dmitrievsky Monastery, founded around 1057 by the Grand Duke Izyaslav, who at baptism bore the name Demetrius. Wanting to elevate his monastery, the prince transferred the first abbot, the Monk Varlaam, here from the Pechersky Monastery. Hegumen Varlaam was a man of pious life; it is known about him that he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, then to Constantinople to venerate shrines and acquire icons and other church utensils. He died on the way back, in Vladimir Volynsky, bequeathing everything he acquired to the Monk Theodosius and was buried in the Pechersky Monastery. Subsequently, the Dmitrievsky Monastery was abolished and assigned to the Pechersky Monastery.

The Vydubitsky Monastery was founded by Grand Duke Vsevolod Yaroslavich on the place where, according to legend, the wooden idol of Perun floated (floated) ashore when he sailed along the Dnieper, overthrown by order of the prince. Vladimir.

Klovsky or Stefanich monastery, founded in the town of Klov. Its founder was the third abbot of Kiev-Pechersk, Stefan. In 112, David Igorevich, Prince of Vladimir-Volyn, was buried in the monastery.

Feodorovsky Monastery, famous for the fact that here, shortly before his death, the unfortunate Prince Igor Olgovich accepted the schema. The abbot of the monastery, Anania, dressed his body, desecrated by the Kyivians, in decent clothes, performed a requiem mass and brought it to the monastery of St. for burial. Simeon.

In total, there were 13 monasteries in Kyiv during the period under review. Of these, 10 are male.

Often bishops founded monasteries in dioceses on their own initiative. As a rule, these were monasteries at the residences of rulers. So, for example, the Suprasl Chronicle reports about Bishop Joachim of Novgorod, who “ruled for himself a tithe monastery.” First of all, monasteries arose in such large cities as Kyiv, Novgorod, etc., as a rule, in places that were formerly pagan temples, where idols of Perun and other idols stood.

After Kyiv, we see the largest number of monasteries in Novgorod and its environs. One of these monasteries was founded in 1106 by the monk Anthony who arrived in Novgorod. The saint was born in Rome into a pious family, and took monastic vows in Italy. According to legend, the ascetic arrived in Novgorod by miraculously sailing on a stone. These events took place during the bishopric of St. Nikita. The Monk Anthony died in 1147, after forty years of labor. The monastery he founded became known as Anthony the Roman. As reported in the saint’s dying will, in order to provide the monastery with everything necessary, Anthony bought the village of Volkhovskoye for 100 hryvnia, i.e. land with people living there, and for 70 hryvnia a place on the Volkhov River for fishing. Monastic income was used not only to support the brethren, but also to feed orphans, widows, the poor and the poor. The liturgical vessels of Anthony the Roman have been preserved, confirming the connection with Italy.

stylite

stylite, m. (church history). A religious fanatic-hermit prayed standing on a small pillar (pillar with 1 value), or shut himself up in a small tower cell (pillar with 2 values). Simeon the Stylite.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.

stylite

A, m.. A hermit who performs prayers standing on a small pillar, or shut yourself up in a cramped tower cell.

and. stblpnitsa, -s.

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

stylite

m. outdated A hermit who prayed earnestly, standing on a small pillar (1*1) or shutting himself up in a cramped tower cell.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

stylite

a saint from among the venerables who has chosen a special type of feat - standing on a “pillar” (some kind of elevation) for in-depth prayer. The founder of pillarism is the Syrian monk Simeon the Stylite (d. 459), who labored on the pillar for more than 30 years.

Wikipedia

Stylites

Stylite- a Christian saint from among the saints who chose a special type of feat - continuous prayer on the “pillar”.

Feats of standing on a pillar for the sake of piety are found even earlier than the 4th century. Saint Ephraim the Syrian, in his 29th sermon to the Egyptian monks, says that he saw a man who stood on a pillar for the sake of virtue. However, Christian tradition considers the Syrian monk Simeon the Stylite to be the founder of pillarism, who labored on the pillar for more than 30 years. Simeon enjoyed exceptional authority in the Christian world, crowds of believers flocked to him for advice and guidance, emperors wrote letters, his veneration as a saint spread during his lifetime, especially in the Syrian communities.

Simeon’s feat was followed in the 5th century by the Venerable Daniel (December 11), in the 6th century by the Venerable John and Simeon the Divnogorets, unlike the first Simeon called the Younger (May 24), in the 7th century by Alypius, who labored on the pillar for 66 years (Comm. November 26), in the 8th century - Theodosius, the Stylite of Edessa (July 9), in the 10th century - the Venerable Luke the New Stylite, who remained on the pillar for 45 years (December 11), in the 11th century - the Venerable Lazarus of Galicia from Ephesus (Comm. 30 July), in the 12th century - the Venerable Nikita of Pereyaslavl (May 24), in the 15th century - the Venerable Savva of Vishera, who died in 1460 (October 1).

The only pillar of the Western Church was the Monk Wulfilaich (+ c. 594), who accomplished his feat in the harsh climate on the peaks of the Ardennes.

Icons depicting stylites, which pilgrims brought with them when returning after visiting these ascetics, played a significant role in the development of icon veneration.

In Eastern Europe, one of the first stylites was St. Cyril of Turov (12th century), now especially revered in Belarus.

Columnism as a type of seclusion could be carried out both in underground pillar-caves (Reverend Nikita of Pereyaslavl), and in specially built recluse cells on the territory of the monastery.

The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, imitating Saint Simeon, prayerfully stood before God on a stone for 1000 days.

Examples of the use of the word stylite in literature.

Lomonosov Gervaise took the name Glafira in Orthodoxy, and Father Afanasy, who crowned the young Buturlins, took the name from Semyon Stylite became her confessor and entered deeply into the life of the Buturlin house on Znamenka.

“This is a state of mind,” he objected. stylite, turning around and looking at Arthur point-blank.

“Attached to this is another prayer, a very important one,” continued the old man. stylite, - so write that down too.

The torments of the wind ended, and Zhikhar and the bound Simeons decided to return to their original place, Stylites He explained everything to him: “The air not only goes into his lungs, some of it also gets into his intestines.”

Now settled here stylite and the stone of the Mother of God is located, on this mountain was ancient Bethlehem.

Pillar stylite, mouth shutter - You were my throne, Space was to me like a burning pillar to the sea of \u200b\u200bJewish crowds!

This stylite“there was Saint Simeon,” said Belbo, “and, in my opinion, he climbed onto the pillar in order to make it easier to spit on the heads of those passing below.

The lights of Christianity, the passion of Christ, stylites and hermits, miracles and fertile springs, and other, other dregs fell in clouds on the Russian village reader.

Holy ascetics and stylites They looked demandingly at the master who gave them a second, immortal life.

I knew people who tortured themselves with chains, who did not wash or cut their nails - as if the Redeemer preached uncleanliness, stylites and the silent ones who lived in hermitages and scourged themselves day and night.

Lonely Marat - God save us from such a person - pondering for a long time in his hidden cellars and on his pillar Stylite, saw salvation in only one thing - in the fall of 260 thousand aristocratic heads.

And, penetrating with his spiritual gaze into the future, he saw, almost saw, powerful forefathers and prophets, excited by the harshness of existence, and the frightened faces of six-winged cherubs, and visions of the Last Judgment, and the ranks of the righteous, and that special thing that he planned to create in the stone tent of the temple : holy martyrs, efficient and stubborn, like the Novgorodians themselves, whimsical stylites and the Trinity, the Trinity first of all!