One of the most revered Catholic and Orthodox saints is the Monk Anthony the Great. This ascetic founded hermit monasticism. In the article we will examine in detail his life, the image of St. Anthony in art and literature. And also remember the main monasteries and temples dedicated to this great ascetic.
Saint's childhood
First, let us turn to the life of Anthony the Great. The future saint was born in the land of Egypt in Coma near Heliopolis in 251 AD. e. His family was rich, his parents were of noble birth. They raised the boy in a strict Christian faith. He spent all his childhood in his parents' house. And when it came time to go to school to learn to read and write and to be surrounded by peers, the future saint chose not to leave the house.
From childhood, he was taught to visit the temple of God, where he went with joy with his father, mother and sister. Despite the fact that the family possessed enviable wealth, the Monk Anthony the Great was unpretentious and was content with a small one.
But when the young man turned 18, his parents passed away, leaving his younger sister in his care.
Call of god
Since then, Anthony took care of his sister and household, continuing to regularly attend church and indulge in pious thoughts. One of these days, he, as usual, went to the temple. I thought about the holy apostles who left all their possessions, all their previous lives and followed Christ, as well as other believers who acted like them.
When the young man crossed the threshold of the temple, he heard a voice that uttered a phrase from the Gospel of Matthew: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give it to the poor. And you will have treasure in heaven. And follow me. ” These words seemed to have come from the mouth of the Lord God himself and were addressed to the future saint personally. They hit the young man in the heart and radically changed his subsequent life.
Upon returning home, St. Anthony immediately followed the words heard in the church. He sold numerous property inherited from his parents, the fertile land of his lands. He distributed part of the proceeds to the inhabitants of the village. He left the part to his sister, who also had the right to inherit. He gave part to the poor and the poor. However, he wondered what to do with the little sister, which he could not leave just like that. And he went to the temple of the Lord to wait for advice from God.
When he entered the church again, he heard other words from the same Gospel, commanding him to hope only for the Providence of God and not to worry about tomorrow, which “will take care of itself”. Anthony also decided that these words were intended for him. He donated to the poor neighbors that little property that he had left. I gave my sister to the care of good Christians from the local monastery. And finally, he left his native home and city to live in solitude and indulge in relentless prayer for the glory of the Lord.
Hermit founder
Initially, the Monk Anthony the Great lived near the city with a Christian elder who was a hermit. The future saint tried in everything to imitate his teacher. In addition, he visited other elders who lived in solitude, and asked their advice on how to conduct a hermit life. Even then, Anthony was known for his spiritual exploits, and many called him "a friend of God."
However, then he decided to go farther and farther away from people. He called for an old man, with whom he lived, but he refused. Then Anthony, the future founder of Christian monasticism, found a remote small cave in which he settled. One of his friends periodically brought him food. Then the saint went even further: he crossed the Nile and settled in a crumbling military fortress. In stock he had bread for six months. Twice a year his friends came to him, bringing some food and passing it to the reverend through a hole in the roof of the fortification.
It is difficult to imagine how much the ascetic experienced during these years of hermitage. He was exhausted from thirst, from hunger, from a deserted night cold and daytime heat. However, the worst was not physical deprivation - the most terrible, according to the saint, were spiritual temptations, longing for people, for the world. Temptations from numerous demons that haunted the holy were added to this longing. Anthony watched as the demons appeared to him in the guise of either black and terrible youths, or in the form of giant giants. I saw the devil torture and torment other people. The demons beat him half to death and scoffed at him in every possible way. Sometimes the Monk Anthony the Great was inclined to return to people, it was so hard for him. But then the messenger of God appeared to him - the Angel or even the Savior himself. Once Anthony asked the Lord where he was when he suffered so much and cried out to him. The Lord replied that he was with him all the time, but was waiting for his achievement.
Most of all, Anthony interfered with his thoughts. Once, during a fierce battle with them, the saint appealed to the Lord and indicated that his thoughts did not allow him to be saved. Suddenly he saw that someone, like two drops of water similar to him, was working tirelessly, then praying and getting to work again. After Anthony appeared before the Anthony of the Lord, who ordered him to act just like his double - only then salvation is possible.
So twenty years have passed. Anthony's old friends finally found out his habitat and found him to settle nearby. For a long time they knocked on the door of his modest monastery, asking them to go out to them. And finally the saint appeared at the door. Friends were very surprised. They expected to see an aging, exhausted man. But on the contrary - not a trace of deprivation was visible on the monk's face, despite the fact that he lived in inhuman conditions. Calmness and silence dwelt in his soul, and the heavens reflected on his face. Soon the elder became for many a spiritual mentor. In the mountains located around the desert, many monastic monasteries appeared. The desert revived: many began to dwell in it, pray, sing, work and serve people. The monk did not set any specific conditions for monastic life for his students. He was only concerned about the need to strengthen piety, God's prayer, detachment from earthly life in the soul of his spiritual children, the need to teach them constant work for the glory of the Lord.
Hermit feat
However, despite the successes of his students and the spiritual prosperity of the monasteries, the founder of Christian hermitism did not find rest in this inevitable noise. He sought peace and loneliness. A voice from heaven asked him where the saint wanted to run. And Anthony answered: "To the upper Thebaid." However, a voice objected that the reverend would find no rest there or elsewhere. And he needs to go to the inner desert (the so-called territory located near the Red Sea). It was there that St. Anthony the Great.
Three days later, he found a high mountain with clean keys on his way and settled there. The saint built a small field to grow grain for himself and bake bread. From time to time he visited his students. However, numerous admirers found this place of his solitude and often began to come to him for prayers, instructions, and healings.
One day, the Greek philosophers, who were in the eternal search for wisdom, visited Saint Anthony. The saint asked why such wise people came to him, the unreasonable old man. What philosophers objected to, on the contrary, consider him a wise and knowledgeable person. To this sv. Anthony boldly answered them: “If you came to a fool, your path was in vain and you went in vain. If, as you say, I am a sage, then you should imitate the one you are called a wise man. After all, if I came to you in search of wisdom, I would begin to imitate you. However, you have come to me as a knowledgeable person - so become as Christians as I am. " And the philosophers went back, marveling at the insight of the saint.
Meeting with Paul the Hermit
So Anthony lived in the desert for more than seventy years. Gradually, the thought began to creep into his head that he was older than all other Christian hermits. The monk turned to the Lord with a prayer that he would alienate this proud thought from him, and learned from the Savior that in fact one monk began to live a hermit much earlier than himself. Anthony went in search of this hermit. Having spent the whole day, he did not find anyone but the animals that lived in the desert. The next day, I saw a she-wolf that ran to a stream at a watering place. St. Anthony followed her and discovered a cave located near this stream. When he approached her, the door was closed from the inside. And the hermit half a day asked to open it, until finally the gray-haired old man came out to meet him. His name was Paul of Thebes, and this saint lived in the desert for ninety years.
They greeted each other. And Paul asked in what condition the human race is now. He was pleased that Christianity finally triumphed in Rome, but was saddened by the appearance of the Arian heresy. During the conversation of the hermits from heaven, a raven flew up to them and laid bread in front of them. Paul joyfully exclaimed: “How merciful the Lord! All these years I have received half the bread from him, and for you He sent us whole bread! ”
The next day, Paul told Anthony that he would soon go to the Lord, and asked to bring the episcopal mantle to cover his remains after death. Saint Anthony hastened to his monastery with deepest excitement and told his brothers only that he had seen the prophet Elijah and Paul in paradise.
When the saint returned to Paul, he noticed how he ascended to heaven surrounded by angels and apostles. Anthony was upset that the old man did not wait for his return. But, returning to his cave, he discovered that he was praying serenely in his lap. Anthony joined his prayer and only a few hours later realized that Paul was really dead. And he buried the old man, having washed his body. The grave was dug with the sharp claws of the lions that came from the desert.
Anthony himself died at the age of one hundred and six years.
Relics of the saint
The relics of the monk were found only under Justinian in 544. Immediately after their discovery, they were transferred to Alexandria. When in the VII century. the Saracens conquered Egypt, delivered the relics to Constantinople, and from there, already in 980, to Mot-Saint-Didier (now Saint Antoine l'Abbey) in France, where they are stored to this day.
Life of St. Anthony
The life and deeds of the great saint were described in detail in his life by Father Athanasius of Alexandria. It is worth saying that this is the first known monument of Orthodox everyday literature - hagiography. Also, this creation is considered one of the best works of Athanasius. John Chrysostom claimed that this life is necessary for reading to all faithful Christians.
In the work, St. Athanasius also tells about the appearance of St. Anthony, and that throughout his life he was not seduced by expensive food, cost little in clothes, and that his vision remained sharp until old age, and until his death all his teeth were in place, only loosened in the gums - in the end the saint was already more than a hundred years old. In addition, he maintained healthy arms and legs until his very end. All people who knew the elder loved St. Anthony, marveled at his deeds and inspired by spiritual achievement. They were also amazed at the health of the reverend, which God preserved for him, despite all the hardships and hardships. All this, concludes St. Athanasius, is evidence of the numerous virtues of Anthony the Great and the goodness of God.
This life of the Russian saint Dmitry Rostovsky included in the list of Four Mineas as an edifying and soulful reading.
Monastery of St. Anthony in Egypt
In the very place where once a monastic community was formed around the saint - in the desert near the Red Sea - now stands the oldest Christian monastery in the world. Now this place belongs to the Coptic church (by the way, the parents of St. Anthony and he himself comes from just this people). About forty monks and twenty young novices live and pray there.
There are seven churches in the monastery, and only one of them is built on the site of an ancient chapel, which the monk himself laid in his time. Part of his ashes is stored here, on the right hand of the altar.
Not far from the monastery is a place of pilgrimage for Christians - the cave where St. Anthony. Now there is a small chapel. A steep high ladder leads to it, and once a year, on the day of the saint's memory, a traditional worship service is held in it. The rest of the time, at certain hours you can meet a monk reading prayers.
Temple in Russia
In Russia, there are relatively few places of veneration of the saint - in Catholicism, much more attention is paid to him. The most famous is the temple of Anthony the Great in Dzerzhinsk. Small in size, it was built in 2007-2009. A Sunday school is open at the temple.
Why they venerate the saint
As we see from the life of Anthony the Great, this saint performed many spiritual deeds during his lifetime. For which he is revered in the Christian tradition. January 17 is considered to be a saint's day.
His main merit for the Christian way of life, of course, was the foundation of the tradition of hermit monasticism. Several monk hermits are still under the supervision of a single mentor. They live close to each other, most often in small huts or caves (which are also called skete). There they fast, indulge in relentless prayer and work. For such hermits, St. Anthony's Memorial Day is considered a particularly important church holiday.
However, it is worth saying that even during the life of the elder another type of Christian hermitism appeared - monasteries. The founder is considered to be the Monk Pachomius the Great.
St. Anthony was not a writer in the traditional church sense. However, among his spiritual heritage, statements and teachings, united in collections, have reached us. As he died, he urged his followers: "Always believe in Christ and breathe it." This saying of St. Anthony can be considered the motto of his life: after all, he never once departed from faith in the Lord.
To our time, 20 speeches of the reverend old man devoted to Christian virtues, seven letters to the monastery monks, and also the rules of life for them have been preserved. They are often remembered on the day of memory of Anthony the Great.
In the 5th century, a collection of his sayings first appeared. He advised to indulge in silence in the desert - because then a person becomes invulnerable to all temptations, except sensuality. The saint also noted that if a person could not get along with people in the world, then he could not cope with his loneliness. In his opinion, a person will not find salvation if he has not been tempted. The saint, in principle, pays much attention to temptations: he considers this a very important factor for salvation, and in one of his sayings he even advises rejoicing in the fact that demons tempt you. The reverend advised avoiding hatred and quarrels, adhering to humility, which can cover all sins, not complaining and not considering oneself wise. After all, pride brought the devil to the underworld. In addition, one should abstain in food and sleep. Thus, the saint described the ideal image of a monk, which he actually was.
The image of a saint in art
Among the many stories with which the biography of Anthony the Great abounds, the motif of the temptations of the saint is a favorite among artists. It stands out most clearly in European spiritual painting from the 15th century. We can see works devoted to this plot among such well-known (mainly German and Dutch) masters as M. Schongauer, I. Bosch, A. Durer and others. For example, the painting “The Torment of St. Anthony” by Michelangelo is considered one of the first works of the artist. Among other common stories is the meeting of Anthony and St. St. Paul Anthony on the background of nature. The icons depicting the reverend are also varied.
G. Flaubert used the plot of the temptation of St. Anthony in the philosophical drama of the same name.
As for the main attributes of iconography, among them there is a cross in the form of the letter T, hand bells of the Order of Hospitallers, a pig and a lion, and also tongues of flame.
Whose patron is
St. Anthony is considered the patron of numerous professions: horsemen, farmers, undertakers, butchers and many others. Numerous images of the saint are associated with this. If the Eastern Church honors him as the founder of hermit monasticism, then the Western Church pays more attention to his gift of healing.
The Middle Ages were the peak of St. Antonia, it was then that the order of his name was formed. This place actually became a medical center that specialized in treating a disease called "antonium fire" (it was assumed that it was either gangrene or ergot poisoning). Recall that the day of veneration of the saint is January 17.