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St. Symeon Stylites
V Century
The first and most famous of the pillar saints, Symeon was a shepherd
until he was 13, when he began to work as a servant at a monastery.
Well-loved, he entered a stricter monastery, where he outfasted his
brothers. Symeon was expelled from the monastery for excesses. He lived on
Mt. Teleanissę until 423, when he set up his first 9-foot pillar. His
ascetical feat drew such attention that he later erected pillars of 12 and
20 feets to escape the crowds who came, twice daily, to hear him preach.
At the end of his life (495), he lived on a pillar 60 feet high and 6 feet
wide.
Karen Rae Keck
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