Saint Antony the Younger ( el, Ἀντώνιος ὁ νέος, 78511 November 865) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

military officer who became a monk and saint. He is commemorated by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

1 December Events Pre-1600 * 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III. *1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France. * ...

Biography

Saint Antony was born John Echimos (Ἰωάννης Ἔχιμος) at Phossaton near

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 785. His parents were Photeinos and Irene, and he had at least a brother named David and a sister named Theodoule. According to his

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

, as a child he was brought to the

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

John, who foretold his future. When his mother died in , he and his siblings left Palestine for

Attaleia Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...

. There he entered imperial service, probably in the

Byzantine navy The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...

. In 821 or 822 he was promoted to ''

ek prosopou The title of ''ek prosopou'' ( el, ), meaning "representative", was widely used in the middle Byzantine Empire (9th–12th centuries) for deputies of various office holders. The title could be applied in a generic sense to any senior official, suc ...

'' (deputy governor) of the

Cibyrrhaeot Theme The Cibyrrhaeot Theme, more properly the Theme of the Cibyrrhaeots ( gr, θέμα Κιβυρραιωτῶν, thema Kibyrrhaiōtōn), was a Byzantine theme encompassing the southern coast of Asia Minor from the early 8th to the late 12th centuries ...

. He held the post until 825, although he may have been promoted to thematic governor (''

strategos ''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...

'') in the meantime. He participated in the suppression of the rebellion of

Thomas the Slav Thomas the Slav ( gr, Θωμᾶς ὁ Σλάβος, Thōmas ho Slavos, – October 823) was a 9th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine military commander, most notable for leading a wide-scale revolt in 821–23 against Byzantine emperor, E ...

in 822–823, then spent ten months in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

in 823–824, before returning to his theme and leading the repulsion of an Arab attack on either Attaleia or Syllaion. In 825, just as he was about to be married, he was secretly

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

d by the

stylite A stylite ( grc, στυλίτης () 'pillar dweller', derived from () 'pillar' and syc, ܐܣܛܘܢܐ ()) or pillar-saint is a type of Christian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying. Stylites believe that the mortifi ...

monk Eustratios, and adopted the

monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...

Antony. Joined by his servant Theodore, he spent some time at

Amorion Amorium was a city in Phrygia, Asia Minor which was founded in the Hellenistic period, flourished under the Byzantine Empire, and declined after the Arab sack of 838. It was situated on the Byzantine military road from Constantinople to Cilici ...

, before moving on to

Pylae Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. The town has a population of 156,838, while the population of the surrounding Yalova Province is 291,001 . A largely modern town, it is ...

and

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

, and thence to the Agauron or Pandemos Monastery on the

Bithynian Olympus Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...

. His hagiography claims that during these journeys he was repeatedly rescued from need in miraculous manner. In 829 or 830 he was tried on the orders of Emperor Theophilos by the ''

epi ton deeseon The ''epi tōn deēseōn'' ( el, , "the one in charge of petitions") was a Byzantine office, whose holder was responsible for receiving and answering petitions to the Byzantine emperor. Subordinate officials with the same title also existed in the ...

'' Stephen for his persecution of Thomas the Slav's adherents after the end of his rebellion, and was imprisoned for five months at

. After being whipped, he was released, and returned to Agauron. Sometime later (

Raymond Janin Raymond Janin, A.A. (31 August 1882 – 12 July 1972) was a French Byzantinist. An Assumptionist priest, he was also the author of several significant works on Byzantine studies Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanitie ...

places this between 837 and 843) he went to Briles, where he lived in a chapel dedicated to

Saint Panteleimon Saint Pantaleon ( el, Παντελεήμων, russian: Пантелеи́мон, translit=Panteleímon; "all-compassionate"), counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Hea ...

. He then spent some time in the Monastery of Heraclius at

Kios Cius (; grc-gre, Kίος or Κῖος ''Kios''), later renamed Prusias on the Sea (; la, Prusias ad Mare) after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as the Sea of Marmara), in Bithynia and in ...

, returned to Agauron until 842, and then went again to the Monastery of Heraclius until 848, when he moved to the

metochion A ''metochion'' or ''metochi'' ( gr, μετόχιον, metóchion or gr, μετόχι, metóchi; russian: подворье, podvorie) is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is usually from one autocephalous or ...

of All Saints in Constantinople. Petronas with John the monk

In he cured

Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad (National Petroleum Limited), commonly known as Petronas, is a Malaysian oil and gas company. Established in 1974 and wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with all oil and gas reso ...

, the uncle of Emperor

Michael III Michael III ( grc-gre, Μιχαήλ; 9 January 840 – 24 September 867), also known as Michael the Drunkard, was Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian (or Phrygian) dynasty. ...

, who became his disciple. The two had a very close relationship, and Antony is said to have prophesied Petronas' great victory over the Arabs in 863 at the

Battle of Lalakaon The Battle of Lalakaon ( gr, Μάχη τοῦ Λαλακάοντος), or Battle of Poson or Porson (), was fought in 863 between the Byzantine Empire and an invading Arab army in Paphlagonia (modern northern Turkey). The Byzantine army was led ...

. In that year, he moved to

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, before returning to Constantinople in 865, spending the final days until his death on 11 November in the Monastery of Leo the Deacon. He is commemorated by the

on 11 November and 1 December.

Hagiography

His hagiography was a disciple who visited Antony shortly before the latter's death. Preserved in several manuscripts, is a valuable historical source as it is "rich in information about Byzantine medical services, every-day life, law, and the administrative system" (A. Kazhdan).

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Antony the Younger 785 births 865 deaths 9th-century Byzantine military personnel 9th-century Byzantine monks 9th-century Christian saints Byzantine admirals Governors of the Cibyrrhaeot Theme Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Byzantine prisoners and detainees Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Saints from the Holy Land