Egyptian saint, generally regarded as the first Christian hermit
Not to be confused with Paul the Simple, the disciple of Anthony the Great.
Saint
Paul of Thebes
Saint Paul, "The First Hermit", Jusepe de Ribera, Museo del Prado (1640)
The First Hermit
Born
c. 227 AD Thebaid, Roman Egypt
Died
c. 341 AD Thebes, Roman Egypt
Venerated in
Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches Anglican Communion
Major shrine
Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite, Egypt
Feast
10 January/15 January (Catholic Church)
15 January (Eastern Orthodox Church)[1]
9 February (Coptic Orthodox Church)
Attributes
Two lions, palm tree, raven
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Paul of Thebes (Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲉ; Koinē Greek: Παῦλος ὁ Θηβαῖος, Paûlos ho Thēbaîos; Latin: Paulus Eremita; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit and grazer,[2] who was claimed to have lived alone in the desert of Thebes, Roman Egypt from the age of sixteen to the age of one hundred and thirteen years old. He was canonized in 491 by Pope Gelasius I, and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodox Churches.[3][4][5]
^Tomekovic, Svetlana (2016-12-28), "Chapitre I. L'aspect donné aux saints ermites et moines", Les saints ermites et moines dans la peinture murale byzantine, Byzantina Sorbonensia (in French), Paris: Éditions de la Sorbonne, pp. 21–55, ISBN 978-2-85944-842-4, retrieved 2023-08-27
^"St. Paul of Thebes, Church's first known hermit, honored Jan. 15".
^"Venerable Paul of Thebes".
^Agaiby, Elizabeth (2018-10-22). The Arabic Life of Antony Attributed to Serapion of Thmuis: Cultural Memory Reinterpreted. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-38327-2.
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