Symeon Stylites Of Lesbos
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Saint Symeon Stylites of Lesbos (765/766–844) was a
monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
who survived two attempts on his life during the second period of
Byzantine Iconoclasm The Byzantine Iconoclasm () are two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial authorities within the Ecumenical Patriarchate (at the time still comprising the ...
(814–842). He followed a similar model to
Simeon Stylites Simeon Stylites or Symeon the Stylite ', Koine Greek ', ' (Greek language, Greek: Συμεών ό Στυλίτης; ; 2 September 459) was a Syrian Asceticism#Christianity, Christian ascetic, who achieved notability by living 36 years on a s ...
, residing on a pillar-like structure similar to a
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
. There he isolated himself from the world and fasted, prayed and studied. In the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
he is
venerated Veneration (; ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Veneration of saints is practiced, ...
as a
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
, along with his two brothers: Saint George the Archbishop of Mytilene and Saint David the Monk.


History

In the beginning of the eighth century in
Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...
lived Adrianos and Konstanto. They had seven children, of which five became monks; three of the children were David, George and Symeon. David, the eldest, was born around 717 or 718 A.D.; he learned how to read and write by 16 and he was the shepherd of his father's sheep. During the time of a huge storm, he saw a dream and Saint Anthony appeared to him and instructed him to travel to a monastery in
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, at
Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida' ...
. Exhibiting discipline at the mountain, he lived inside of a cave and ate wild greens. He lived there for 30 years. In another dream, he was instructed to go to the Bishop of
Gargara Gargara () was an ancient Greek city on the southern coast of the Troad region of Anatolia. It was initially located beneath Mount Gargaron, one of the three peaks of Mount Ida, today known as Koca Kaya (). At some point in the 4th century BCE t ...
to be ordained a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
and later an Elder Priest. He later returned to the monastery in Mount Ida. He saw another dream and was instructed by an
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
to build the church Saint Kirikou and Ioulittis and a monastery where many monks gathered. After ten years his mother arrived to inform him that his father had died. She was with his youngest brother Symeon who was 8 years old. He was born either in 765 or 766 A.D. Symeon lived with his brother; his mother returned to Mytilene and after a short time died. Symeon learned how to read and write living at his brother's monastery. Symeon at age 22 also became a monk at the monastery; by age 28 he was ordained. David saw a vision of his death in a dream and informed his younger brother to go back to Mytilene. Two years later David died at the age of 66. Symeon composed himself and on the command of his brother returned to Mytilene. He went to the church of Panagia which was at the north harbor of the island maybe Apano Skala. There he followed a similar model to
Simeon Stylites Simeon Stylites or Symeon the Stylite ', Koine Greek ', ' (Greek language, Greek: Συμεών ό Στυλίτης; ; 2 September 459) was a Syrian Asceticism#Christianity, Christian ascetic, who achieved notability by living 36 years on a s ...
. He climbed up a pillar-like structure similar to a tower. The term Stylite is
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
it comes from the word στυλί which means poll or column. There he isolated himself, fasted, worshiped and studied. Symeon also at this point found his other brother George born 763 A.D. who was a monk and an ordained priest and their sister Illaria also a monk. Together with other priests, they built a huge monastery. The Monastery drew a huge amount of Christian worshipers who were thirsty to hear the Word of God. The worshipers were asking for the blessing of the holy monks. On 19 April 797
Constantine VI Constantine VI (, 14 January 771 – before 805), sometimes called the Blind, was Byzantine emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded him as sol ...
was imprisoned, captured, and blinded by supporters of his mother.
Irene of Athens Irene of Athens (, ; 750/756 – 9 August 803), surname Sarantapechaena (, ), was Byzantine empress consort to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780, regent during the childhood of their son Constantine VI from 780 until 790, co-ruler from 792 unti ...
organized a conspiracy. She was to be crowned as the first Empress regnant of
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
. She was exiled to
Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...
around 802. She was in favor of icons and was forced into poverty, spinning was her means of survival. One year later she died. The peace of the beautiful monastery was disrupted by the second iconoclast period: 814–842 instituted by Emperor
Leo V the Armenian Leo V the Armenian (, ''Léōn ho Arménios''; 775 – 25 December 820) was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. He is chiefly remembered for ending the decade-long war with the First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgars, as well as initiating the second ...
. The Emperor decreed persecution against Christians due to military failure the Byzantines suffered at the hands of Bulgarian Khan
Krum Krum (, ), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome () was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper a ...
. He wanted the same blessing that
Constantine V Constantine V (; July 718 – 14 September 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able military leader, Constantine took advantage of Third Fitna, civil war ...
had from the first iconoclast period: 730–787. The bishop of Mytilene also named George, was exiled and a new bishop of Mytilene was chosen, he was loyal to Emperor Leo V the Armenian. He immediately began a campaign against the famed monks including Symeon and the monastery. With the orders of the iconoclast Bishop, Symeon is ordered to be put to death by fire. With the aid of a miracle he is saved and he climbs his pillar where he stays for a period of time emulating
Simeon Stylites Simeon Stylites or Symeon the Stylite ', Koine Greek ', ' (Greek language, Greek: Συμεών ό Στυλίτης; ; 2 September 459) was a Syrian Asceticism#Christianity, Christian ascetic, who achieved notability by living 36 years on a s ...
. The angry bishop wishes Symeon to leave the city and never return. He is exiled to a small island with his monks called Saint Isidore. The area of the island of Lesbos was in the Gulf of Gera, close to Loutra near Kountouroudia. Saint Symeon was again pursued by the iconoclast bishop because Emperor
Michael II Michael II (, ; 770 – 2 October 829), called the Amorian (, ) and the Stammerer (, or , ), reigned as Byzantine emperor from 25 December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, the first ruler of the Amorian dynasty. Born in Amorium, Michael was ...
reissued orders against Symeon exiling him yet again to an uninhabited rock-like island across from Troy Lagousa. Symeon went there with 7 of his students. He again climbed the pillar and stayed for 10 days. His brother George stayed in Lesbos to watch over the Monastery. Saint Symeon after a while traveled to Constantinople where he understood he would be extremely useful to the church. He settled at the Monastery of Medicium home of Saint Nikitas the Confessor near the city of Tirilye on the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
. With the Monastery of Medicium as his epicenter, he toured the
Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
to the Aegean Islands to the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. At these places, he would stand by the exiled priests hiding from the iconoclasts. At his time in exile, Symeon worked as a fisherman wherever he stopped, he worked to help the people in need more than helping himself. Touring the
North Aegean The North Aegean Region (, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the islands of the north-eastern Aegean Sea, called the North Aegean islands, except for Thasos an ...
and Asia Minor he not only taught but he also healed the sick and founded a female Monastery by the grace of God, where many nuns gathered. Emperor of Byzantium
Michael II Michael II (, ; 770 – 2 October 829), called the Amorian (, ) and the Stammerer (, or , ), reigned as Byzantine emperor from 25 December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, the first ruler of the Amorian dynasty. Born in Amorium, Michael was ...
died. His iconoclast successor Theophilos waged a bigger war against the church. Symeon and his entourage were arrested with the intent of imprisonment and being put to death. He was saved for a second time miraculously with the intervention of
Theodora (wife of Theophilos) Theodora ( Greek: Θεοδώρα; 815 – c. 867), sometimes called Theodora the Armenian or Theodora the Blessed, was Byzantine empress as the wife of Byzantine emperor Theophilos from 830 to 842 and regent for the couple's young son Micha ...
. He was not lucky enough to escape 150 lashes which were ordered by the Emperor. He was then exiled to Aphousia an island in the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
. He was there with other distinguished priests of the Byzantium such as Theophanes the Branded and his brother Theodore the
hymnographer A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditionally ...
. At this place of exile, Saint Symeon of Lesbos built a church in honor of the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
and monastery where all the persecuted exiled iconoclast priests gathered. Meanwhile, in Lesbos Symeon's brother George awaited his return but he also had serious problems with the iconoclasts during the time of
Leo V the Armenian Leo V the Armenian (, ''Léōn ho Arménios''; 775 – 25 December 820) was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. He is chiefly remembered for ending the decade-long war with the First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgars, as well as initiating the second ...
around 813–820. The iconoclast Bishop of the island pressured him with various methods until he exiled him from Mytilene. The bishop illegally seized the Monastery and sold all the family's belongings. George was forced to leave with his monks to a place on the island called Myrsina. Phountoules and Malamut identify Myrsinas with a site near the gulf of Gera in Lesbos where a monastery of Panagia Myrsiniotissa was constructed in the 12th century. But even at this location Christians came and found them and George taught and performed miracles. When the Emperor Theophilos died, his wife Theodora rescinded the exile of all priests including George and his Brother Symeon. George and Symeon along with
Methodios I of Constantinople Methodius I of Constantinople or ''Methodios I'' (; 788/800 – 14 June 847) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 11 March 843 to 14 June 847. He was born in Syracuse and died in Constantinople. His feast day is celebrated on June ...
the confessor became the most trusted advisors to Empress Theodora. Around 843 A.D. with the advice of Symeon, Methodios I became the Patriarch of Constantinople. Symeon with his students settled at the monastery then known as the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus. George was asked by Empress Theodora to become Bishop of
Ephesus Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...
. He did not accept the position due to his old age. He was 80 years old at the time. After many attempts by Empress Theodora, he accepted to become the Bishop of the Metropolis Mytilene. Soon after he was ordained by the Empress, Empress Theodora, her brother
Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad, commonly known as PETRONAS (stylised in all caps), is a Malaysian Multinational corporation, multinational petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Established in 1974, it is a lega ...
and noble
Bardas Bardas (; died 21 April 866) was a Byzantine noble and high-ranking minister. As the brother of Empress Theodora, he rose to high office under Theophilos (. Although sidelined after Theophilos's death by Theodora and Theoktistos, in 855 he en ...
gave many gifts to the poor of the island. George entered the port with the royal navy accompanied by generals and members of Empress Theodora's court. George was greeted with joy and happiness. The monks finally got back there monastery and they celebrated after being exiled for many years. Specifically, they celebrated the Birth of the Virgin Mary (8 September 843 A.D.). After several days George took his enthronement at the church of Saint Theodora, which was the Metropolitan Church on 14 of September during the
Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...
. One year later around 844 A.D., Saint Symeon Stylites of Lesbos died. He was buried at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary. The winter of the same year Saint George the Archbishop of Mytilene visited the land of the
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
to see a sick friend. With the Lord's help, Saint George's friend was healed. He envisioned a prophecy that he will die in seven years as he did. He returned to Mytilene and continued his work teaching and healing. He performed his miracles as the good Shepherd. He went to
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
during the winter. There he wanted to see his spiritual children and monasteries, which he founded on plots his students gave him. At Smyrna, he stayed a few days because an angel came to him and announced his death was soon. He immediately returned to Mytilene where he survived the entire
Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek language, Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Megali Tessarakosti'' or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, ''Megali Nisteia'', meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most impor ...
he even performed the service of
Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...
. He understood the end was near. He gave his final commands to his spiritual children the monks and nuns. He gave his soul to the lord on the night of the
Great Sabbath The Great Sabbath () is the Sabbath immediately preceding the Passover on the night of the 14th of Nisan, named on account of the prophecy from Malachi, traditionally read on this day, which foretells the return of Elijah the prophet to announce t ...
or
Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...
around 845 or 846 A.D. They buried him next to his brother Saint Symeon Stylites of Lesbos. The remains of the two saints were never discovered but are somewhere on the island of Lesbos. Saint David the Monk may be buried somewhere else. The three brothers are all Saints; Saint George the Archbishop of Mytilene, Saint Symeon Stylites of Lesbos and Saint David the Monk. Their joint Feast Day is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on February 1.Ορθόδοξος Συναξαριστής
Άγιοι Γεώργιος Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μυτιλήνης, Συμεών ο Νέος Στυλίτης και Δαβίδ ο Μοναχός


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Symeon Stylites of Lesbos Angelic visionaries Byzantine Iconoclasm Eastern Catholic saints People from Lesbos Saints of medieval Greece Year of birth uncertain 760s births 844 deaths 9th-century Byzantine monks 9th-century Christian saints People from Mytilene