4th–5th century
Saint Arsenius the Great
Roman deacon and tutor to the sons of Theodosius the Great who left the imperial court to live as a hermit in the Egyptian desert.
Biography
Arsenius was born in Rome around 350 to a wealthy Christian senatorial family and was ordained a deacon. On the recommendation of Pope Damasus, Emperor Theodosius the Great summoned him to Constantinople in 383 to tutor his sons Arcadius and Honorius.
Living in great luxury at court, he felt an ever-growing desire to renounce the world. He left for Egypt, where he became a monk at Scetis under the guidance of John the Dwarf, showing great humility.
He lived in the desert for more than fifty years, renowned for his strict asceticism and wisdom - even the Patriarch of Alexandria, Theophilus, came to visit him - and died around 445.