Simeon The Stylite

c.390-459. Pillar ascetic. Born in Cilicia, son of a shepherd, he moved to Antioch where as a teenager he became an anchorite. For twenty years he lived in various monasteries in N Syria. About 423 he started to live on a pillar at Telanissus (Dair Sem'an). For thirty-six years he lived in great austerity on a platform at the top of the pillar, the height of which was gradually increased until it reached sixty feet from the ground. Thousands came to see him and hear his preaching, with the result that his influence was extensive. After his death a monastery and sanctuary were built on the site of the pillar. A famous disciple of his was Daniel the Stylite.