4th–5th century
Saint Paisius the Great
Ascetic of the Egyptian desert and disciple of Abba Pambo, around whom many monks gathered in Scetis.
Biography
Paisius was born in Egypt in the early 4th century, the youngest of seven children of a wealthy and pious family, and was orphaned of his father while still young. As a young man he went into the desert and became a disciple of Abba Pambo, renowned for his virtue.
After Pambo's death he withdrew to the western part of the desert, where many monks gathered around him seeking his spiritual guidance. According to tradition, Christ appeared to him more than once in the form of a poor traveller.
In his old age, at the entreaty of his fellow monks, he moved closer to a city so that more people could benefit from his teaching. After his death, Father Isidore transferred his relics to a monastery in Pisidia.