Simeon Stylites, St
Simeon Stylites, St West AsiaThe ferocious individualism of the Syrian saints was unmatched in West Asia. They were‘men of fire’, souls purged through fierce asceticism. Most idiosyncratic was Simeon (c. 390–459), archetype of the pillar saints and the inspiration of ascetics for a millennium. He lived for forty years at the top of a 60-foot column in the hills behind Antioch. Utter rejection of the body drove the Stylites, whose self-immolation took the form of hair shirts, spiked collars, burns, insect bites, flagellation, rotten food, induced constipation, and constant exposure to the elements. Legend recounts that St Simeon was feeding worms on self-inflicted wounds which he kept open for that purpose, when a maggot fell off. Putting it back, the Saint remarked testily:‘Eat what God has given you!’ At least one pillar saint was killed by lightning and, though monastic authorities discountenanced ascetic excesses, these wild men amazed and...
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