St Hilarion

Abbot and monastic pioneer of Palestine. Hilarion was born in 291 in Gaza. He studied at Alexandria, where he became a Christian. After the death of his parents, he gave all he owned to his brothers and the poor and went to live as a hermit at Majuma. He followed the same regime as St Antony - a diet of figs, bread, vegetables and oil. First he built a small shelter of reeds, later a stone cell measuring about five feet by four feet.

Gradually a group of monks formed around him and both men and women came to hear his teachings. Before long he was attracting large crowds by his wisdom and miracles. In an effort to escape all this, he fled first to Egypt, then Sicily and Dalmatia. Once more his miracles attracted so much publicity he went to Cyprus, settling in Paphos. Here he died around the age of 80 in 371.

From the earliest times he has been venerated in the East and West as an example of monastic holiness.