Living on a Pillar

I've been thinking a lot about a Desert Father named Saint Simeon Stylites. He lived out in the desert and was trying to withdraw from the world, but pilgrims kept coming to him for advice, miracles, and prayer. It got so bad that he could spend no time alone in prayer and reflection. One day he stumbled upon some old ruins and decided to make his new dwelling on top of one of the pillars (it was about 9 feet high). He decided that living on top of a pillar was what God wanted him to do. He tried escaping into quiet reflection and prayer horizontally, now he would try vertically. So he made his dwelling on top of a 45 foot pillar (the greek word for pillar is styloi, thus he received the name stylite).

His disciples would send him food up in a basket and every afternoon he would allow the pilgrims to come up to him via ladder in order to receive prayer and counseling.

He said that he was "called to give up movement" and he would always be on his feet. He stood on top of the pillar and fastened himself to a pole so that he could sleep standing up. His only excercise was to bend at the waist, which he did after every prayer. the point was to symbolize that he was constantly pointing heavenward and that he would not stray from the Word and Will of God.

He lived on top of his pillar for 37 years all the while giving counsel to kings and political figures, discipling many followers, counseling, writing letters, and spending countless hours in prayer.


From his example, a series of Stylites started to spot the wilderness as his followers sought to escape into quiet reflection.



I find it interesting that we use the term "up on a pedestal" to say that people are highly respected or looked up to, and yet here is a man who is using a very high pedestal as a form of escape from the sinful world and invited others to come up to him by a ladder to meet with him in his sanctuary of solitude.


Hagiology is so cool.